All Roses Wilt
by OddShot505
Summary: After Peridot's latest invention malfunctions, Steven gem is cloned, and Rose Quartz is thrust back into the world of the living. It has been many years since she last saw everything, and much has changed. Old enemies are now friends, and past friends have gone through many changes. How will everyone react to her returning?
1. Steven

**((Disclaimer: The following story was not written by me. It was a private collaboration between two authors. When you see a break in the story, it means that the next part is being written by a different person. Due to both authors wishing to remain anonymous, I am publishing this to the website for them. This will be the first of a three-part series that they wrote in their spare time. Enjoy.))**

It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was not supposed to be here.

With the malfunctioning of that device that Peridot had made, Rose Quartz was back in the living world. With everyone there and watching, there was a huge cacophony of reactions to her return. Everything from overjoyed cry's, to outright attempts on her life. While she had been successful at getting away from both Jasper and Lapis, Rose was not able to speak and answer the questions that were thrown her way.

It had been late afternoon when she had come back, and it was now approaching evening. As the sun began to set over the horizon, a flurry of questions and worries stormed in Rose's head. If this was the reaction she received from the gems, she could only wonder how Greg would react if he found out about her fate.

And then there was Steven. Oh Great Creator, how was she supposed to tackle that? He above everyone else had every right to question her and her motives. While she was confined in the gem through the years, she had been granted fleeting glimpses of his life, his trials, his suffering. The things that Rose had not wanted to happen had come to fruition.

She sat there alone on that hilltop, just staring at the sun as it slowly set just behind the horizon. It seemed to be the one consistent in her life at the moment. The rising and setting of the sun were the only things that would be everlasting in this world, but even that was being threatened.

As she sat there and meditated, she heard someone coming up behind her. She didn't look, but the light footsteps indicated that it was likely someone very small in stature. With Peridot not knowing anything about her, Rose quickly concluded that it must have been her son.

"I imagine that you have a lot of questions." Rose said without turning herself to him, "So, while I'm still here, go ahead. Out of everyone, you deserve the truth.

* * *

The appearance of Rose Quartz had not been an expected one — or a widely accepted one.

Tears were automatically shed at the sight of her. She was beautiful, magnificent, and sparked up many memories, particularly in Pearl, who dashed forward in disbelief. The poor gem crumbled to her knees in front of Rose, her fingers intertwining in the hem of her dress. To see a dead lover rise from her ashes was unbelievable to Pearl. It was a dream.

Amethyst stood aback at first, bewildered, but also threw herself towards the gem, shouting nonsense, wrapping herself around her leg. Even Garnet could not contain herself, visor flickering off and tears slipping down both of her eyes. She had gone and leaned towards her chest.

That was where the welcoming natures ended.

Jasper had not been angry, not furious, no, she had been infuriated by the spectacle.

Despite her own switch in alliances, now fighting for her true home rather than Homeworld, she refused to look up to Rose. Jasper resisted the concept of ever kissing at the feet of the person that both brought her to this life and destroyed it. If it hadn't been for Rose's rebellious actions, and the new need in Pink Diamond's sector to create a species of quartzes that could replace her, Jasper would have never been born. Pearl once told her this.

Jasper plainly asked her what her point was.

Rose was the reason for her birth. _Rose_ was the reason that she participated in the war. Rose was the reason that her comrades had been slain, her sisters battered at the merciless hands of Crystal Gem soldiers, her **Diamond** slain by an ungracious hand that took more than it gave.

After the war, Jasper had been given to Yellow Diamond and separated from her kin for the sole purpose of being a perfectly sculpted being, one that could be around if another Rose ever appeared. Oh, and how Yellow Diamond's anger had rubbed off on her grief. She would often speak of revenge, influencing Jasper, making her increasingly more scornful over the years, not just for herself, but the lives that Rose had taken.

Vengeance had kept her alive, given her a purpose to live since everything else had been ripped away from her. So it was not exaggerated to say that when Jasper had pulled herself out of her shell shock, she had every intent of ripping Rose's gem right out of her body to make her disappear again. Just as she was going to lunge forward, fueled with indescribable fury and the words, _"You-!"_ at the tip of her tongue, two things wrapped around her.

One was the pair of Bismuth's strong arms around her wrist, pulling her back. She too had been unbubbled throughout the last two years and she and Jasper had become close enough for her to know how she was. Jasper told her to release her, to let her go, however, she then looked back and saw that Bismuth herself did not look very happy, but hurt.

On her other wrist, a strong and firm amount of water wrapped around it, keeping her bound to her spot. It was Lapis, silently storming, looking at Jasper in warning. After the two of them spent months tied together at Lapis' hand, she knew Jasper too well, especially now that past wounds were beginning to heal between them.

When Rose would look over at the three of them she would be met with dark disappointed eyes, fiery livid eyes, and endless bitter eyes.

Eventually, Rose disappeared from them, probably for the better. All of their questions went unanswered, leaving some confused and others further stormy.

Steven was the last to know out of all of the gems. It had been the rubies that ran up to him along with Peridot that explained to him what had exactly happened. Shakily, he had asked where Rose had gone. Eyeball stiffly pointed out a direction and he found himself breaking into a sprint, despite the cries for him to stop and wait.

 _His mom, his mom, his mom._

After years of pent-up pain, stirring questions, and unsureness, Steven was hellbent on not being the only one that didn't see Rose. Why was she here? Why- Why _everything_? He thought and thought even though he could not possibly imagine any answers. After awhile, he stopped running, panting at the top of the hill with weariness drawn about him as he looked up.

And then he saw _her_.

Rose was sitting right there with her gorgeous long hair and ginormous form. She looked just like she had in the room that Steven visited, except she was not fabricated, she was really there. Steven froze with his brown eyes widening, breath completely stolen from him.

Then she spoke. Her voice was low, sweet like honey, the question causing for his heart to speed up. Steven stayed in his spot, in disbelief, falling quiet for a moment. He swallowed down the lump in his throat.

"You... It's really... You? You're her? _Mom_?"

* * *

It seemed that Rose's preemptive words took the boy off guard. While she had been able to only briefly glimpse into his life through her own gem, she had been able to see a few his interactions with her room. How he had gone there wanting to have some kind of time with her. Yes, she was the one that brought that about, but it was his thoughts alone that made her what she was in there.

Now? Now she was actually here. Now his questions would actually come out, and she was obligated to answer them.

The name that he had called her was one that brought both surprised amusement, and a very deep feeling of shame. With everyone's reactions to her earlier, it seemed to be the two emotions that would stay with her. Between the reactions of Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst, and then seeing old enemies turned friends that still had a strong sense of hate for her, Rose was unsure of what to do with herself.

That was why she had gotten away from their questions earlier. She barely had time to put her feet on the ground, and already she was being assaulted. The only one who offered any form of neutrality was the one Peridot. While she was smaller than most she had ever seen, she was just as insightful as any.

"I... guess that I am." Rose answered slowly, looking down at what she was told was her cloned gem, "but I'm also not. This gem that I have, it's cloned from the real thing... but I have all the memories, the thoughts, and... well everything from the past."

Rose was very unsure about how she was going to continue talking about this. From what she could remember of the brief glimpses of his life, he was very upset with her when he thought about what might have happened in the past. Even with her being just a clone, she was still Rose Quartz.

Despite answering his question, Rose couldn't find it in her heart to look at him, at least not yet. From what little information she had about what was going on, she would be in for some very unpleasant conversations with everyone.

But they would not be wrong for feeling like that. They were right to be mad, to be upset, to feel whatever it was they were feeling. Still, she knew that there was no way to hide from it any longer.

"This is likely going to take a long time." Rose told him in a solemn tone, patting the ground beside her, "You might want to sit down for it."

* * *

So she was, but she wasn't. Somehow, that managed to bring about a sense of disappointment.

A part of Steven had always wished that one day he _would_ be able to meet his mother, perhaps by popping himself. Pearl had always been deeply against it, her views drastically changing from when Steven was a baby. She was afraid that he might die if he ever attempted such a thing. Garnet was not for it either since not even her future vision could foretell what would happen to him. Amethyst theorized that maybe Rose _and_ Steven would be able to come out at once.

He didn't know and chances were that he would never purposely find out. Steven had a duty to take care of everyone. Even if he knew that it was going to be stressful and that it would come with trying times, he had to do his best. At the beginning it had been so that he could make Rose's legacy great — then it became for himself when he realized that _maybe_ his mother made a lot of mistakes he shouldn't repeat.

A lot of big mistakes.

It didn't matter now. Fake or real, she was here and it was the best that Steven was ever going to get. Steven walked forward and then slipped beside her, keeping his eyes trained downwards. A quiet sigh left his nose and he folded his hands. There was a faint flush on his face, one that overrode his unsure feelings. At the end of the day, this was his mom, kind of. Still, it wasn't enough to beat out the rest of the storm of emotions that was going through him.

"So…" Steven paused, not knowing where to start. There was so much to ask and he had no idea how much time he had with Rose, "Is this… How you thought it would be?"

* * *

There was a brief pause when she motioned for him to come over, and Rose at first thought that maybe she had put him off with her explanation of things. Really, with the way that everything was going today, she wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if he completely ignored her.

But that was quickly put to rest when she heard him approach and take a seat beside her. As he sat there, he appeared to be doing the same thing as her, not able to look in the same direction out of some unknown fear of what might become of it. Rose had never counted on meeting him at all, so really she was at a loss for what to say to him.

The question that was raised to her had a lot of undertones to it. She could tell that not just from the pause he took, but also the tone of his voice. It was clear that he was trying to start things off slow, to try and get the both of them in an area of somewhat leveled ground for speaking to each other. It was something that she hadn't expected, or even thought about. Still, she owed him at least something.

"I... honestly don't know how to answer that." Rose told him after a long pause, "I was never supposed to be here, so I never thought about what would happen after... well, you know." Rose had to take another pause to think over what she would say next. As much as she had not expected this, she was a little happy to be able to meet him.

"I will say this though." She went one, "It's at least nice to see that, through all this chaos, you've all managed to find a way to cope, and even find strength with each other. While seeing you here in front of me is rather surreal, I'm not unhappy about it."

* * *

Silence filled the air. Steven wondered if she was going to be like everyone else. Was she just going to leave him with more questions than answers? Or was she actually going to tell him everything that he wanted to know? Not even some of the gems knew how to reply to some of the questions so she — the core of his problems — had to know them. Nobody else would, right? It must be her.

Rose actually spoke up. Her voice made him shiver, unused to actually hearing it. It sounded real and concrete unlike in the room all of those years ago where it had sounded airy. A small sigh left him at the mention of her never expecting for this to happen. That certainly made two of them.

Steven finally looked up at her at the next phrase. His eyes did widen when he saw her face. It looked soft, her skin smooth with a shade of pink to it, eyes dark, yet bright. There was a type of tiredness that melted into them. Her hair fell around her in beautiful bundles. No wonder his father had been awestruck by her, just like everyone else.

Rose was different.

She talked about how it was nice that they all at least had each other. Rose spoke of it like she had been there, as though she had seen it through his eyes. Maybe she has. His hands clenched together into fists when she mentioned that she was not unhappy about seeing him. Steven wanted to reply with 'me too,' but those words couldn't leave his lips, not after everything.

What was wrong with him?

"I don't know about cope…" Steven whispered, voice sounding soft while he stared at her, never taking his eyes off of her, "But… They're trying. I- I honestly don't know what to say or what to think of you. I'm just… Really confused. You're here now so I should be happy, but instead, it's just strange. Why is that? I don't understand why it's this way."

* * *

When he whispered to her, Rose finally took a risk and looked down at him. From the few times that she had been able to actually see his face in the brief glimpses that she was given, Rose had always seen a little boy who had yet to grow up and start facing the responsibilities of life. That was not the case anymore.

While the changes had not been extreme, they were still noticeable. The teenager was well on his way to becoming a fully fledged adult. He had grown a bit, his voice was a slight bit different, and the way he had his hair was something that made Rose's inside's twist in discomfort. It seemed that some of his hair was now frosted with pink, perhaps in an attempt to try and hold her memory close in some way.

That was the last thing that she wanted.

He expressed his confusion of things, and Rose felt her heart sink. Not because he was confused, but because she knew the reason why he, and likely some of the others, felt that way. Should he have been happy to see her? In her mind... probably not.

"I think I know why that is." Rose said, looking away once more, her voice showing a slight bit of sadness as she spoke, "You don't know that much about me. I was never there at all in your life, so you're unsure how to take having me here now."

There was more to it than that, and Rose knew it. Yet, going about what she was thinking was going to take some tact and care. She couldn't just outright say things to him, as there was a lot to be said. So, rather than just blurting things out, she figured it would be best to just have him ask what he wanted, and then take each question one at a time.

"It also probably has to do with my past as well." Rose went on, lowering her head slightly, "I lived a life of many secrets. I never really shared much about them or my own life. But... I suppose that you, out of everyone, should at least have some answers. After all, it looks like you also inherited a lot of my problems. So tell me, what is it that's bothering you the most?"

* * *

That was true. Growing up, Steven had always felt the absence of his mother. Since his father lived in a van, altogether his biological parents were pretty absent. Of course, Greg tried to make room for him and always managed to, but it wasn't the same as having him actually live there. Rose altogether had been absent throughout his child. It left a feeling of something missing — not specifically a mother, but just another parent.

Sometimes he would look at Connie's parents and feel a tinge of jealousy. Steven would automatically shut it down since he knew it was wrong, yet that feeling lingered in the back of his mind. That could have been Rose and Greg if they never had him. If the process of creating him wasn't so complicated, then he could have grown up with both of them by his side. It just wasn't fair. That was life though. Not everything turned out like you thought it would. You just had to find the best in it.

Scooting closer, Steven moved to carefully rest his hand on Rose's forearm at the question. He looked up and both of their dark eyes met. Despite Rose's being such a deep color, they also sparkled in the light, giving the impression that galaxies lie in them.

"Why did you keep so many secrets?" Steven asked, giving into all of the questions that were wandering around within him, "From Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst... And dad... You didn't tell them a lot and... You didn't leave anything for me to follow either. You just never said anything to anyone. Why? Were you scared?"

There was no bitterness present in his tone, simply the pure curiosity of the child that was still within him. Steven looked down so that he could pull his shirt up. Tugging the fabric away, it showed his pink gem, the one that matched Rose's.

They really were the same.

* * *

Once the question had left her, Steven seemed to get a little closer to her. The physical contact that she received from him was very foreign to anything else that she had felt before. Greg and Pearl had both put their hands on her before, but this was a different sort of feeling. While what they did was to show love on a different level, Steven's touch was something else altogether.

That's when he looked into her eyes, and Rose felt an intense pang of guilt. The wide-eyed innocents of his youth still very much so there, and it made her feel so bad for not being able to be there when he was younger. Then he hit her with the question.

She really should have guessed that it would be the first, but she still didn't expect it. All the time that she had spent on this planet, all the time in that war, and she never once shared anything about her past. How on earth was she just supposed to answer something like that? How could she possibly explain to him what had happened for things to end up like this?

Many Gems had seen Rose as a wise and capable leader that always had an answer for things, but this was not something that she was prepared for. How could she explain something like that to him, and still have him understand what went on with her life?

At the very least, she could give him a simple answer to the last question. With a deep breath, she looked away from him, and spoke in a low and tone, filled with shame.

"I was ashamed of what I did... and I still am."

* * *

Ashamed of _what_?

The worst part was that Steven could think of many incidents that Rose could feel shame from. Was it from the fact that she had killed Pink Diamond? Or that she bubbled Bismuth away? Maybe it was all of the secrets that she had kept away from Pearl? And even how she had left Greg alone to raise him? There was just… So much guilt that his mother had to carry and it made him feel a heavy pressure on his shoulders that made him want to cry.

Nobody deserved to have that much on them. Everyone made mistakes. Albeit, some were heavier than others, but still. Right now, he wanted to talk to Rose without everybody else's wounds weighing him down. He would get the answers that they needed, however, he also needed to get the answers that he needed.

Steven wrapped himself closer around her arm and pressed himself into it. It felt unbelievably warm, completely different from what he was used to. A deep sigh escaped him and he shook his head, looking up at her with a faint smile that forced itself up there.

"You can tell me… After all, we're similar, right? I understand… It's okay." He tried to tell her as he pointed out the gem on Rose's stomach before beckoning to his own.

 _It's okay_.

* * *

She felt him wrap himself around her arm, coming closer in a sort of hug. While she would admit that it was a nice feeling, she also felt like it was undeserved. As much as it was nice to have her son here and trying to help her, she knew that out of all here, that she was not someone who should be able to enjoy this.

The sigh that came from him made her look down out of curiosity but, upon seeing his face, she wished that she hadn't. The smile that he was giving her was very small, but she could tell that is was very forced. He was trying to keep her calm, and trying to show that it was alright. Even if it wasn't.

What he said next was something that Rose didn't expect. What he said about being them being similar made her have a hurt feeling in her chest. If he meant that they were similar in their Gems only, it wouldn't have been that bad, but she knew full well what he meant. He meant that they were the same with their lives and how they acted.

She really hoped that it was not true.

After a very long silence between the two, Rose knew that she had to say something to him. He had gone his whole life without knowing a single thing about her. Yes, the others likely told stories about her and even explained how she was off the battlefield, but nobody really knew her full story. Nobody really knew what started all of this.

"If you really want to understand this, it is a long story." Rose told him, "This all started before I got to earth, but it is important for you to understand how this all happened... Because the things leading up to this happened a very long time ago."

* * *

Steven looked at her with almost hopeful eyes as he awaited Rose's reaction. He was not sure what she was going to say. Somehow, he found himself drifting back to the days when Garnet and the rest of them would tell him about how patient and kind his mother was. Looking at the woman beside him, he couldn't help hoping that would be true.

The mention of a story made his eyes widened slightly. Scooting closer, he placed himself on Rose's knee, looking up at her. He swallowed down a strange type of lump in his throat. Not even in the room had he ever gotten this close to his mother.

This reminded him of whenever Greg would tell him stories. They would sit down and most of the time he would have a song to accompany it. It gave the tale a more lighthearted feeling. However, Steven felt that Rose would not do that, even if it was similar to what Greg did. A melody would not be able to make this story look better.

Still, he wanted to dive into it without any previous assumptions.

"I'm listening." Steven told her with a nod. Folding his hands over his chest, he looked up at her, inhaling a deep breath. Even if it took hours or days for Rose to tell him this, he would listen. He had all of the time in the world to spare for her, someone who he never got to see that much in the first place.

He wanted to hear who Rose Quartz was.

* * *

It seemed that Rose was not going to be able to get out of sharing her past. Steven managed to worm himself into her lap. It was an action that Rose had never seen, much less done before. It was odd, but it gave Rose something of a good feeling. Was this what it meant to be a parent? Was this how you were supposed to feel when being close to your child?

Regardless of what it may have been, Rose knew that she had to get on with her story. If there was anyone who deserved this, it was her son.

"Alright," Rose sighed and began to tell her tale, "It was a very long time ago, roughly fifty thousand earth years if I'm being precise. I was created and burst forth on home-world. As a quartz, I was made for the express purpose of fighting the enemies of our world, and I was assigned to work under a diamond. Back in that time, we were just barely starting to colonize different planets. We had very few at the time, but they were all being used for the same thing: to make more gems. That is until... that fateful day. We came across a planet that was already inhabited, and the creatures of that world were nearly on the same level as us when it came to technology. However, they were not at all happy about finding out about this, and that was the start of the first war I was in."

There were many details to that war, but Rose was more concerned about getting to her point.

"It was a very long war, but we ultimately succeeded, and used their technology as our own." Rose went on, "After the war was over, I was put in new position. I was to be the leader of the military forces under the control of my Diamond. I wasn't exactly happy to hear this, as it meant I would not be the one fighting, and instead, would be sending other gems off to their demise. That war I was in, it was the last time that I ever felt honor in what I had done."

Rose took a short pause, trying to ready herself for what she was about to say next.

"For the next several thousand years, I worked beside my Diamond with unwavering loyalty, thinking that what we were doing was for the good of our planet. For the good of all Gems. But, after a while, I started looking at things differently. I'll tell you, I've seen some of the most amazing worlds in the universe, and we simply used them to make more of ourselves, and left them to float out in space as nothing more than husks. The more I watched it happen, the I questioned what the point of it all was."

Again, Rose had to pause, getting herself ready for another bit.

"I think that they must have known of my hesitation in the later years because they started doing things to try and pacify me." Rose continued, "They even went so far as to give me a Pearl. As much as I loved having her around, it didn't keep my thoughts from going back to why we were still doing all this."

* * *

After situating himself in Rose's lap, Steven was more than glad to hear the story begin. He looked at her and curled his knees towards his chest. Since he had been growing little by little, he reached up to Rose's chest. His height was nowhere close to hers, but he was proud of it.

A quiet sigh rumbled out of him while he leaned his head on her and shut his eyes for a moment, simply listening to her, trying to keep another lump from coming up.

 _His mother._

It was surprising to hear Rose's age. The oldest quartz that he ever got to properly know was Jasper and even then, she was apparently fairly young for a gem. This could only be confirmed by the ginormous number that Rose gave. Pearl and Lapis were the eldest of the current Crystal Gems, but even then, he didn't think that they were _that_ old. Rose must have been viewed as a wise leader.

A war was mentioned, one that happened far before the catastrophe that occurred on Earth. It was strange to hear about it since everyone always talked about that one specific war. He shifted and kept to himself, curious, yet patient. Eventually, the tale began to dwindle down to when the other gems wanted to butter his mother up. His brown eyes fluttered open and he looked up.

"Pearl?" Steven asked, surprise lining his tone, " _Our_ Pearl? Or a different one? She never told me where she came from. I don't think she likes talking about it."

* * *

Steven had remained quiet throughout most of her telling the story. It must have been a lot to take in because he never even spoke up when she had to stop herself. No doubt it was something that none of them told him. Likely because that was a poultry thing in comparison to happened here on earth. And she still had more to tell him.

"Yes, it was _our_ Pearl." Rose said, "She was given to me as an assistant, saying that having a servant would help show my position of importance to other Gems. As if I wanted that in the first place. There were many other things that came my way, but she was the only one that I cared about. She was one of the few gems out there that were able to look at me for something other than my status."

Rose took another pause, trying to get herself back on track with what she was saying.

"It continued like that for some time, with me eventually moving so far up that I had direct communication with Pink Diamond herself." Rose went on, "That was when we arrived at Earth. Now as I've said, there were many planets that I was at before this, but there were few that could match the absolute beauty that this world had. It was truly something amazing to get my first look at this world, but that didn't matter to anyone else. I was ordered to start the kindergarten immediately, and I did at first. Though it wasn't long before those old doubts started to rear their head once more.

Recalling all that happened in the early years of the earth was not something that Rose liked going over, but she knew that she had to.

"For a while, I was able to keep myself in check. I just went along with it, repeating to myself that this was for the best. That the Diamonds were doing this for the right reason. Yet the more I watched the planet degrade, the more I doubted them. That's when things began. I requested to speak with Pink Diamond over a video call, and I was granted an audience with her. It was unusual for any Gem to question the will of their diamond, but I brought my concerns up none the less. I asked her if there could be some way to keep the earth from falling victim to the same thing that happened to so many others. There was a long conversation as to why between us, but she ultimately told me that it would be brought up to the other diamonds."

Just thinking about that day was frustrating to Rose, but she showed no sign of it. There was no sense in thinking about what happened, especially considering she couldn't do anything about it.

"I waited for a very long time, but nothing came up from it. So I asked again, and I received the same response. The next time that I asked, I tried to use other means of persuading her, and she said that something would be done about it. Again, it was a long time before I heard anything back from, and I was beginning to lose faith that she would even do anything. That was when the thoughts of doing something myself came into my head, but then I received a call, saying that Pink Diamond wanted to talk to me. So, the meeting time was set up, and I got myself prepared for what I would do once I was there."

* * *

So it _was_ their Pearl. That definitely stuck out to Steven. Pearl was not very talkative about her background unless it came to Rose. She loved her, that much was obvious, and she always tried to preserve the memories that they had made together. However, if Steven tried to dig any deeper, then she would fall extremely quiet.

Steven couldn't say that he blamed her. He had firsthand seen how strangely inhumane her kind was treated back on Homeworld. Soldiers and servants seemed to get it the worst — one experiencing outright abuse while the other happened behind closed curtains. It had been awhile since Steven had gone to the human zoo, but he recalled the way that Holly Blue chastised Pearl despite the two of them not even remotely knowing each other. Of course, she wouldn't want to talk about it.

Still, he was glad that at least for a certain period of time, Pearl had fallen underneath Rose's wing. He knew that no matter what his mother had done, she would never have harmed Pearl on purpose, at least physically. He knew that emotional scars were still there, most likely from both ends, yet physical ones were nonexistent.

His eyes widened at the first mention of Pink Diamond. Steven looked up at Rose with wide and curious eyes, wanting to hear every part of the story. He had been told about different versions of Pink Diamond. Pearl and the rest of them remarked that she had been a relentless ruler, unkind and cruel; Jasper neither confirmed nor rejected this concept, but she did tell Steven that Pink Diamond had been the loveliest being that she had ever met throughout the duration of her life. That was a lot coming from her, although she didn't really have a history of healthy relationships so the truth of that was debatable.

He pressed up against Rose and furrowed his eyebrows together. So they came to Earth and slowly his mother began to see the true beauty of it. What surprised him was the fact that she had tried to negotiate certain terms with Pink Diamond at first. Nobody had ever told him that part. It… Put the situation in a different light.

"What happened in the meeting?" Steven asked, unable to contain himself even though he knew that Rose was simply trying to pace herself with the story.

* * *

The way that Steven pressed up against her was a rather strange feeling. It was almost like he was urging her to go on without words, but it also felt like she had put him on the edge of his seat. The thing was, this was actually the very first time that Rose had every gone over her full story with anyone. While Garnet and Pearl had a good number of the details, she had never gone over everything. Not even with Greg.

At Stevens question, she knew there was no more hiding it. It was time for her to give the full truth of what happened. Time for her to bear her shame whole and truly.

"The night before I was set to leave, I called Pearl into a private meeting for just the two of us." Rose went on, her voice becoming heavier, "If I'm honest with you, I was simply preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. I hoped that everything would get sorted and we could go back to our lives, but I wanted to be sure. It turns out that I was right to make that decision."

Now for the absolute hardest part.

"I was summoned to Pink Diamonds personal ship, and the meeting commenced very quickly. She had told me that she and the other Diamonds had come to and agreement and that steps had been taken to quell my concerns. That's when she showed me what they were doing with the inhabitants of the planet. When I saw what she did... I lost my temper."

 **FLASHBACK - PINK DIAMONDS SHIP**

 _"You see Rose Quartz, everything is taken care of." Pink Diamond said showing Rose what they had done on the ship. The environment looked like that of a very hospitable earth environment, and there were several of the dominant species in it as well. It was like what they had done after the fall of that other species planet. "This way, they can continue to go on, and there will be no need to worry about it anymore. What do you think?"_

 _When the question was asked to her, Rose could hardly believe what she was seeing. This was their solution? To have the planets life forms living in some sort of utopian prison? To just ignore her concerns and try to keep her quiet again? Rose felt her anger surging, and her hands curled into fists. Before another word could be uttered, Rose slammed her fist into the nearby metal wall, leaving a very big indent while she fumed._

 _"Rose Quartz, what is the matter?" Pink Diamond asked, "Is this not a more preferable solution than-"_

 _"Forty thousand years," Rose spoke slowly, cutting the diamond off, "I have given you over forty thousand years of unwavering loyalty. I never once questioned you, and I always did as you asked. And the one time that I ask for something, the one time that I make a request, your answer is to completely ignore me?!"_

 _"Rose Quartz, you are getting out of line." Pink Diamond said, her tone becoming angry, "This was the best course of action. Are you saying that-"_

 _"I'm saying you failed me!" Rose shouted, cutting the other gem off once again, "I've seen how it is for some time now. You don't care about anything but yourself. You and the other Diamonds, all you care about is serving yourself and having other Gems do your bidding without even considering them! The only question I have left is why? Why did I waste all of my time fighting for a group that doesn't care about its people? Why did I expect anything else? Why did I think that you were capable of listening just once?!"_

 _"Rose Quartz, you must understand." Pink went on, taking a high and mighty tone, "We have only ever had the best interest of gems in mind. If that means that some sacrifices have to be made, then we must-'_

 _"I am so sick of hearing the same thing over and over again." Rose said, her voice becoming even angrier, "I am through with having gems die for all of you. I am through with so many races being destroyed for our everlasting species. But more importantly, I am through with all gems words going unheeded, and simply looked down upon like they are nothing more than tools!"_

 _Rose drew her sword and then brought her shield up. Pointing the blade at Pink Diamond, Rose steeled herself._

 _"I will not stand for this anymore." Rose said, readying herself for battle, "I will not allow for another Gem to go unheard. I will not allow for another planet to be used as nothing more than fodder for us. I will not allow another gem to be mistreated and fall to the wayside as trash. This is the start of a new era, and it begins here and now."_

 **END**

Rose was unsure how to follow that up, but she knew that it was only the begging of what was going to be an even worse story. One of the things that brought her even greater shame and guilt. One of learning about her mistake, and realizing that things weren't always what they seemed.

* * *

Rose's background was beginning to unfold before him, slowly making more and more sense as she went on to explain everything from her point of view.

The story began out simple. It was going to be a meeting with Pink Diamond — a concept that could be quite intimidating on its own — and she and Rose had been talking. It started out fairly calm until an atrocious plan for humans was unfolded, causing for his mother to gradually lose her cool. The more that Rose spoke of the scene, the more he understood why she had done what she had. She had been finished with being treated like less and seeing other creatures be put to the side the same. Her drawing the sword prompted him to release a quiet gasp.

By the time that Rose began to wrap it up, water welled up in his eyes. While sadness nor grief washed over him, he did feel great sympathy for both sides of the story. It was a conversation that had gotten out of hand, miscommunication in its worst image. Tears eventually spilled overboard. With a sniffle, Steven tried to blink them away, bringing his sleeve up to wipe any wet steaks off of his cheeks.

It was then that he realized that at the end of the day, Rose was just a _gem._ She was the same like him or Pearl or Jasper — she was not a higher being that was infallible. Rose made mistakes because that's what everyone does.

Determined, he stood up in the lap and moved to wrap his arms around Rose's neck. It was a wordless gesture, yet he hoped that it could offer her at least a small amount of comfort in reliving the event. He gave her a firm and long squeeze, wishing to show that he cared, no matter what, he was there to listen.

"Is that..." Steven trailed off, unable to say it before forcing the words out, "Is that... Where you finished her?"

* * *

She truly had not known how Steven was going to react to this news, but she knew that it was going to be anything but pleasant. She herself was deeply ashamed of what she did, so it would only make sense that people looking at it from an outside perspective would think the same thing, if not even worse. It was the only thing that could happen.

When she felt him rise from her lap, she thought that he was about to leave her. She wouldn't blame him if he did, but it appeared to not be the case. He turned to look at her, and his eyes were filled with tears. Before she could ask what it was, he wordlessly embraced her, and Rose was at a loss for words herself.

Why was he hugging her? With everything that she just told him, he should have been angry at her. Whatever the reason was, Rose found that she couldn't reject the kind gesture. Even though she didn't feel like she deserved it, Rose found the hug to be rather comforting. With her eyes wide from the action, a few tears started to make their way to her eyes as well.

Then his question came. She expected more, but with all the information that she had just dumped on him, he was likely looking for something simple. The answer that was needed wasn't much, but Rose had far more to it than he may have originally thought.

"Yes." Rose told him simply, but she went on, "When I ran my blade through her gem, she looked me in the eye and spoke one last thing to me. _Save them, Rose_. At the time, I thought she was mocking me, so I didn't pay it much mind. It was then that Pearl and I made our escape from the station, and began making our way back to Earth. We made it out on almost luck alone, but we did manage to get back."

It was then that things started to get to the hardest part of her life.

"When we first arrived, we were met with plenty after us." Rose continued, "For a good while, it was just myself and Pearl fending them off. Though, when word got around to other gems what I had done, and the words that I spoke, it didn't take long for us to start building a formidable force. At first, I simply took the skills that I had learned from my former wars and applied them there. It was a difficult fight a first, but we started gaining traction."

Rose took another short pause, wiping away a few stray tears from her face that she hoped Steven wouldn't notice.

"War can really change people, Steven." Rose told him, "It can cause you to do things that you never once thought you would. The ways that I achieved victory in many of the early battles are... not something that I am proud to say that I did. At the time, I wasn't thinking about it, and I was just concerned about doing what I thought was right in the end. But then something happened that forever changed my look on things."

* * *

The part about what Pink Diamond said surprised him, causing for more tears to run down his cheeks. It only made him tighten his grip around Rose's neck, surprised by it. Had she really been mocking his mother or had there been more to it? He was sure he was going to find out, the question was which answer was the right one?

Steven slipped down back into the lap, releasing Rose, once the story of the war began. It seemed almost amazing in his mind that at the beginning it was just Rose and Pearl. The two of them must have seemed like an unlikely pair, two rogues drifting through a sea of gems that contradicted their beliefs. Gradually though, some gems seemed to see what his mother was talking about and went to join her. This made him bring his hand up to wipe at his cheeks, wishing for himself to stop his silent crying.

He could only imagine how that victory was achieved. Judging by the tone, it might have been gained through the horrendous slaughter of other gems. Steven wouldn't be surprised. Jasper had been the only one that was steely enough to tell him the graphic battles that occurred through the war. It would also match Bismuth's thought process about using the 'Breaking Point,' a weapon of mass destruction. Would Rose have accepted that at the beginning of the war? It seemed really plausible.

However, something seemed to change and shift for Rose. He looked up at her for what seemed like the fiftieth time that day, craning his neck to look at her with curious eyes that sought out answers, that wanted the truth.

"It's okay," he whispered in reassurance, "Go on."

* * *

To feel her son tighten his grip on her was something that made Rose feel like she had truly done wrong with just saying all of this. It was only heightened when he pulled back slightly and looked at her. The tears running down his face, the sad look in his eyes... it was almost too much for her. He was slowly starting to see her as the monster she saw herself as.

Even with his reassurance, Rose found it difficult to go on. She could still feel that there was doubt in him. A feeling of what she was saying wasn't completely true. In order for things to truly be brought into the light, it was going to take an outsiders perspective. She had a way, but she could only hope that she could still get to it.

Lifting up Steven's shirt slightly, she looked down at his gem. Closing her eyes, she placed her hand over it and concentrated. They were the same gem, so she reasoned that she could still gain access to it. It seemed that she was correct. The gem began glowing, and she was able to pull something out that very few had ever seen before, which was labeled with her name and cut.

"This was found during the early days of the war." Rose told Steven, holding up the strange looking device, "A Spinel, an infiltrator class gem, that was loyal to me brought this back from a mission they were on. They managed to get into the headquarters of Yellow Diamond and bring back information, as well as this.

Rather than explaining to him what it was, Rose simply decided to show him. Turning the device one, the thing floated out of her hand. As the machine came to life, a holographic image came up. The one it was showing was another Pearl. But not just any Pearl, Pink Pearl. She began to speak in a soft informative tone.

"Rose, listen to me. Your words did not go unnoticed by Pink Diamond. No, far from it. It had been something that she knew about for a very long time. While you never said anything, she took notice of the way that you acted during every mission. She knew of the silent agony that you and many other gems went through. For so long she wanted to do something about it but was unable to do anything with the other Diamonds at her back. For so long she had been trying to find a better way for gems, but there was almost nothing she could do. But then something happened that would forever change her purpose. You came forward and expressed your concern about everything, and this was what she needed to finally get things going. Her hope was that, now that something was said, the other Diamonds would finally take notice."

The hologram then cut to soundless footage of Pink Diamond standing at a table arguing with the other three.

"For days she pleaded and argued with them, trying to get some form of leniency, but they refused to budge from their old ways of thinking. Even after you asking multiple times, the other Diamonds paid no mind to it. Pink knew that she could not let this go, but it was clear that no normal means would work with her sisters. So she began to plan, and make ready something that she knew would get their attention. In order for what she was doing to be taken seriously, she knew a statement had to made, and that's why she started the human zoo. She knew that you wouldn't be able to hold tongue the second you saw it."

The image then cut back to the Pearl, looking much sadder than before.

"In order to make this statement loud and clear, she knew that something drastic had to be done. Her life would be ended by her most beloved disciple. Her death at your hands... that was the way she wanted it. Out of duty as a leader, she turned her back on her own sisters. A lesser gem would have been crushed by such a burden. She would be forever remembered as nothing more than a terrible Diamond. A self-serving gem that simply got what she wanted through abused power. And like a true warrior, she saw it through to the end. But I think she wanted you of all gems to know the truth. She wanted to live on in your memory. Not as a Ruler... but as a gem. But in order for her plan to work, she couldn't tell you. That's why she told me."

Pink Pearl than started getting teary eyed, and her voice began cracking.

"Rose, history will never know what she did. No one will ever learn the truth. He story... her dream... will endure only with you. Everything she did, she did for all gems. She sacrificed her life and her honor so that freedom could be a possibility. She was a real hero... she was a true patriot."

The hologram ended with Pink Pearl breaking down into sobs. As the transmission ended, Rose found herself silently crying. She hadn't played that thing in a long time, and it hurt just as much as the first time.

"When I first saw this... I wanted to die." Rose told Steven, the tears heavily streaming down her face, "I wanted to shatter myself. My impatience and my lack of faith in her led to her death. Because she wanted the same thing that I did. Even though I wanted to end it all, I knew I couldn't. My only chance at making this right was to fulfill her dream. But I swore an oath that day. I would never let another Gem die for me, or anyone else."

* * *

Confusion swept through Steven for a moment when Rose's hand pulled up his shirt again and hovered over his gem. Slowly, a glow came over it that made him gasp, an unusual sensation coming over him as a device was pulled out of his gem. His brown eyes were large and widening more by the minute as he experienced the spectacle. Aside from summoning his shield, his gemstone never really _generated_ anything. He thought that only Pearl and her kind could store objects in their gems, but apparently, he had been wrong.

Steven leaned forward in curiously and stared at the peculiar item. Suddenly, it floated above them and formed a bright hologram for the two of them to see. Subconsciously, he clutched Rose closer by her dress, curls spinning on top of his head from the force of the sudden hologram. All he could whisper in awe was, " _Wow_."

A gem came on screen. She was fair and nimble, just like their Pearl, except she was different. This one did not contain the color scheme of any pearl he had ever seen before. Her body was surrounded in hues of pink, very clearly different from Yellow Pearl and Blue Pearl, two gems that served underneath the Diamonds that he had seen in the past. He tilted his head and listened extremely carefully as her airy voice began to speak, sounding far away, yet close. Chances were that this would be the only time that he would ever get to hear anything like this so he made sure to show his utmost attention.

Pink Pearl began to speak of her Diamond, what had happened to her, the motives that had fueled her. The more that he learned, the wider that his eyes got, disbelief washing over him. So they had been wrong. Bismuth, Garnet, and Pearl — all of them had been _very_ wrong about Pink Diamond and what type of person that she had been. She had not been cruel or heartless and chances were that neither were Blue Diamond nor Yellow Diamond, like he had expected all the way at the beginning.

No, she had been another gem caught in a caste system with a purpose that she didn't want to fulfill. She was someone that wanted to have a different reason to live and flourish, not under tyranny, but under a different purpose.

Steven's eyes stayed glued to the hologram the entire time, never daring to deter his focus. When Pink Diamond popped up with the others, he couldn't hold back the jolt of surprise, although he attempted to keep it down. This was a memory, something from the past that he was getting to experience firsthand. Towards the end, he felt his eyes water again as everything began to make sense. The puzzle pieces were coming together and forming a whole picture.

 _She was a true patriot._

Pink Pearl then disappeared and so did the hologram altogether. It all faded away, leaving him and Rose there alone. His breathing was steady despite the sympathetic tears that overflowed his cheeks when his mother spoke of how she had wanted to die. For a moment, he felt too bewildered to say anything, having to have to gather his thoughts so that he made any sense at all. Slowly, his small hand rested on Rose's forearm, granting it a comforting rub. He looked up at her without an ounce of regret, giving her a shake of his head.

"You shouldn't have to feel that way. In the end, what you did might have been extreme, but it was what she had wanted," he told her, his voice in the most mellow tone that it had been all day, "You were doing the right thing, mom. I think that in the end, it was something that you probably wouldn't be able to avoid. If you didn't do that then I wouldn't have my family today, the Crystal Gems. We're slowly growing and spreading, reforming bit by bit, and that's thanks to you. Your mistakes are small in comparison to the choices you made right... You did what had to be done and I understand that now."

The hologram had been large. It projected itself up so high that anybody underneath the hill could see it. Everyone had their eyes glued to the screen for different reasons. Jasper was the one who was staring the most, understandably.

There she was — Pink Pearl, just as wonderful as she remembered her. She was beautiful and Jasper recalled that once she had gotten the opportunity to meet her, right before she had gotten shattered. It was most unfortunate, an order that Yellow Diamond had given in order to wipe out the memory of Pink Diamond. Hearing her speak now brought Jasper a sense of grief for the colony that she had lost, the gems who were now shards of dust.

Jasper couldn't remember much after the war. It was a blur. She could recall that she had been in such deep shell shock that they threw her in confinement for awhile, the question of if she should go on or be erased being tossed around. Occasionally, she would get less than pleasant visits from Holly Blue Agate that would result in injuries and a sour taste in her mouth for gems out of her court.

However, she did know that she had been one of the only survivors from Pink Diamond's court, which was minimal in contrast to the beginning. Throughout the years, her memory of her comrades managed to gradually fade, so seeing one so vividly on the screen made her swallow. She knew she should excuse herself before she made a scene, yet her eyes were glued to the screen out of obligation.

Then _she_ appeared. It was only for a few seconds and faintly, but it had been her, Pink Diamond. Jasper audibly gasped at the sight of her and her usually narrowed golden eyes widened, a hand clasping itself over her mouth. She was still just like she remembered her — the absolute picture of elegance and power. The feeling of Amethyst rubbing her knee out of comfort felt shallow in comparison to the energy fueling through her.

Slowly, her hands dropped from her face and she simply gaped, listening to what Pink Pearl had to say. Bit by bit, she cast her eyes downwards at her hands, where gloves with a pink diamond inside of each were. She stared at them and then deeply exhaled, a single tear slipping down her cheek.

There was the truth; no matter how ugly it was or what kind of secrets it revealed, it was there, clear as day, filling the hole that had been left in her heart ages ago.

Oh, Pink.

* * *

After what she had said, Steven's pause came as no surprise to her. With everything that she had just said and all the new information that he had, it was likely too much for him to take in. While Rose did have doubts about doing this, she knew that he wasn't a child anymore. He had the right to know this. To know why she carried all of this alone. Why no one else deserved to take this burden and why she should bare it.

When he finally spoke up, Rose was unsure as to how she should react. As nice as it was to have someone tell her that it was okay after all this time, she knew that it was something that she didn't deserve. Just because he understood, and just because something came out of this, it didn't make up for all of her failings.

"Even if I could forgive myself for what I did to her, there are so much more things that I can't be forgiven for." Rose told him, her voice still managing to sound even, despite the tears still falling, "So many Gems died because of me. So many gave up their lives because, they like me, truly believed that something would get accomplished. The only way that I could have made this right was if I succeeded... but I failed. I failed to make her wish a reality, and I failed so many gems that deserved to live more than I do. So many died, and even more, corrupted. I don't deserve the love that you are showing me, and I don't deserve to be forgiven for what I did."

It may not have been a very motherly thing to say, but Rose was being honest with him. She truly felt that she wasn't worthy of any kindness.

"This is why so many remember me for always trying to be hopeful in any situation." Rose went on, "I always put on a face of happiness to hide what I was really feeling because no one should waste pity on me. No one should feel sorry for someone who can't do anything right. You were the only good thing that I ever gave to the universe, Steven, and I still messed things up for you. I wanted you to have a life of your own, not inherit everything that I ruined. I didn't want you to be anything like me. Who would want anything to do with someone like me? I'm terrible... You should hate me."

* * *

Steven listened to Rose, taking in every word that left her mouth. It was obvious that she was fueled with a lot of feeling and emotion, letting out something that she probably hadn't disclosed to anybody in a long time, if ever. Even if she was a clone and not his actual mother, she felt so _real_ and concrete, clearly in distress with true sadness in her tone.

His eyes widened at the last part; he would have never guessed that she felt like that.

"No!" He yelped with a shake of his head, obviously disagreeing with the words, a frown coming to his face for once, repeating himself in a softer tone, "No, of course, I don't hate you. Sure, I was confused on where we are, and I still am on some parts, but that doesn't mean I _hate_ you. I don't hate anyone. Dad always said that was a strong word and I know I would never use it against you. I love you... And ultimately, isn't it up to me to decide if I'm allowed to love you or not if I'm the one giving it?"

Reaching out, he clasped their hands together, connecting them fully for the first time in the entire conversation that they had shared. Steven looked at her, tears slowly fading as determination filled his chest. He was flooded with a sense of overwhelming care for the woman in front of him, meaning every word he said, making sure to tell her everything that she needed to know, because who knew if he would ever get this chance again?

"I _know_ you made mistakes and feel like you didn't succeed... That forgiveness isn't something for you... But it is. Forgiving is not the same as forgetting. A person might still remember what you did to them, yet they can still move on from it and keep walking forward. Besides, you show something that most don't when they do something wrong and that's _remorse_. It means you're truly sorry and that's more than enough. I promise."

He shook his head gently and even gave her a small smile, the hopeful type that Rose had spoken of herself wearing — except his was genuine and full of warmth, that glimmer of love being within him.

"We can't stay in the past. We _have_ to look to the future. It's all we can do."

* * *

It seemed that Rose had triggered something within the boy, as at the moment she mentioned the word hate, he reacted quickly. It was now her turn to stop and take everything in from him. While Rose had meant what she said, she should have known better than to think that he would ever allow something like that to just be said.

The way in which he spoke was something that reminded her of when she was trying to speak whenever someone was down while they were readying for their next battle. The conviction and unwavering feelings in his voice were truly something that she herself would have used back in the day. And the more he spoke, the more she began to realize just how much she had passed on to him.

As for whether of not that was good or bad, it was not her place to say. After all, it was his life, not hers.

He took her hands in his own, and looked her dead in the eye, speaking more of his own wisdom that he had gained over the years he had been through. He spoke of how he did love her, despite everything she told him. How that she could be forgiven, even if she didn't think she deserved it. How that, because she felt remorse, it meant that she was a good person.

While Rose wasn't sure if she was worthy of being forgiven or not, she still took his words to heart. It was clear that he was not changing his mind, and that he really did mean what he was saying. So, taking a deep breath, she readied herself for a response.

"It sounds like your father has been doing a great job." Rose said, lifting her head back up a bit, "I don't know how much that means coming from me, since I don't know anything about parenting, but I know he always does his best."

Looking up further, Rose finally made eye contact with her son, and began to speak from her soul.

"I need you to know that, the reason that I wanted to have you, was not so I could escape from my old life. It's because I wanted to be able to do at least one good thing for someone. To be able to give you a life where you didn't have to worry about anything that I did. Like I said, you were the one good thing I put into this world after taking so much away from it. I didn't want you to be me, and I'm sorry if you've ever felt like you had to strive for that."

Her final words were something that Rose never thought she would ever get a chance to say.

"Even with all of that, I want you to know that the love that I feel for you from both before and right now has and will always be real. The only thing that I ever really wanted out of you was for you to be happy. I didn't care what it was, just so long as it was what you wanted. And I'm sorry that you aren't able to do that without cleaning up everything I left behind. I never thought things would turn out like this."

* * *

"He is." Steven agreed at the mention of his father, giving a small nod and faint turn of his lips. It faltered though when he wondered if Rose was planning on seeing him anytime soon. He hoped that she would. Out of all of them, it had been Greg that had pushed himself the hardest to get out of his rut about his wife's death in order to raise him. Throughout the years he had been nothing except compliant, somehow Steven couldn't help thinking that he deserved closure as well.

That would have to wait for awhile longer though. Slowly, Steven slipped off of the lap, but never separated their hands. He looked up at Rose with slightly big eyes that he tried to keep down to not look too entranced by everything she had to say. However, it didn't work since they only widened the more that Rose went on before softening.

It was true that a part of him, no matter how minuscule, had thought that he should be like Rose. After all, everyone had always told him how he reminded them of his mother and how great her legacy was. Although he loved the Crystal Gems, he had felt like he had been the one keeping them together despite his young age. As time went on though, the more gems he talked to and the more he grew, he concluded that he really did want to help these different individuals, that he wanted to be _better_ than his mom, not be like her. True, he was trying to finish what she started, but not her way.

The part about loving him made him almost tear up again, but he fought through it with a wider smile that pressed upon his lips. He shook his head at the apologies that she was receiving, taking them to heart even if he knew that they were not truly necessary. After all, he already knew that Rose has wanted the best for him.

"Sometimes, a little bit of unpredictability might be good. I don't regret anything that happened. It might have been different from what you expected or wanted, yet... Believe me when I say I wouldn't want it any other way. I'm going to keep fighting for not only _your_ memory and _hers_ ," Steven explained, speaking firmly and gently, "But for my free will as well, to do what is right, my way. Everything will be fine. And mom, I know I never really got to see this too much, in dreams or anything, so I'll say it now as well — I love you too."

* * *

With the words that he spoke to her, Rose wanted to tell him that she wasn't worth loving, but she knew that it would be useless at this point. Just like her, he was very stubborn when it came to the things he believed in. Not only that but for the first time in a very long while, Rose actually felt at peace with many things in her life.

She still didn't fully forgive herself for everything that happened, but there was something of a weight lifted off of her shoulders from doing this. All that time she had shouldered the burden as a way of punishing herself. While this didn't fix what she did, it was still something of a relief to hear that her son had no grudge held against her.

Rose took some initiative this time around, and she was the one to lean forward and embrace with. To be able to hold her child like this was... well it was something that she had never thought she would get to go through. It was new but somehow strangely familiar.

At the thought of familiarity, Rose knew that she had other things to deal with as well. While everything with Steven had been more or less taken care of, there were still so many here that she had to speak with. Had to give closure to. She was unsure of how much time she had left, but she couldn't waste a second.

"There is still so much I have to do." she told him, pulling away to look into his eyes, " I know that the others need some time but... I also need to speak with Greg at least one more time. I left too many loose ends for him, and he deserves better than that."

Finally standing up, Rose took a peek behind herself, only to see everyone else standing there. It was likely that they caught what had happened, but she had no reason to worry about it anymore. Extending her hand out to Steven, she readied herself for what was likely going to be a lot of questions.

* * *

It was Rose who acted first and that pulled him close to her chest. She brought him as close as she could and he gladly leaned into her, squeezing his eyes shut. His pudgy arms wrapped around her while a surge of emotions came through him. This time, they were not as complicated and hurtful — instead, it was peaceful, gentle, normal feelings that a mother was supposed to give you.

For the first time and final time, Steven felt incredibly safe in Rose's arms. This was where he was supposed to be right now.

Nobody would ever be able to convince him that his mother was a bad person. No, true bad people didn't really exist, only those who made the wrong choices sometimes. Those types of people would always have the opportunity to redeem themselves. In the end, he did believe that if someone really wanted to be, they could be good at the core, no matter what kind of mistakes they made in the past. His mother was living proof of that, even if he was not sure if she believed him.

Rose pulled away and gently mentioned his father, her voice soft when she spoke of him. Oh, Steven hadn't even thought of that. He had no idea how Greg would take the sudden appearance. Of course, he was sure he would be absolutely joyous to see Rose, but the question is how exactly the interaction was going to play itself out. It felt like it was going to be something private and hopefully beautiful.

Steven stood himself up on his legs, careful not to wobble and stumble. They felt like jelly. Inhaling a deep breath, he finally turned to her and saw that a hand was extended to him. She wanted to talk to the others, to see what they had to think and say. Looking up, he noticed that a few of them were still there at the bottom of the hill, Jasper missing from the crowd. Once more, his attention came to Rose.

Softly, he smiled.

"Let's do it." He confidently agreed, reaching out to grasp the hand of his beloved mother, a symbol of their newfound connection. Steven gave it a light squeeze before he began to lead them down the hill, to where many conversations laid ahead of them.


	2. Greg

Yesterday had been something of an emotional rollercoaster for Rose, and it didn't end once she and Steven had gotten through talking. No, there was still a lot to discuss with the rest of the crew at the barn. There were a good number of things that needed to be said, and things to be cleared up with both fresh and familiar faces alike.

The first person that was spoken to was Pearl, and she still seemed to be herself after all this. She had reassured her that there was no ill will between them, and Rose apologized to her being the cause of so many bad feelings. As she usually did, Pearl tried to contend that she had done no wrong, but Rose quickly shot that down. She had left her with many emotional scars, and it wasn't right. Still, the two were not on bad terms.

Garnet and Amethyst were a little easier to deal with, them just saying it was nice to finally see her again, and know that things were finally being cleared up. Then there was Bismuth, and boy was that a long explanation. Though it seemed like she herself had gone through some changes since being brought back, and she admitted what she tried to do was wrong.

When it came to all the other gems Rose had a variety of different reactions. While Lapis was bitter to her about being put in the mirror, the two both explained themselves. While it wasn't exactly the best conversation, the two left on terms that were at least agreeable. Peridot was indifferent about the whole thing, saying she had no real reason to not like Rose. The Ruby's... well that was something that would have to be taken in stride, but they seemed to at least understand the reasoning behind everything.

As for Jasper, the two of them looked all over for her, but she was nowhere to be found. It was likely that she didn't even want to see Rose, and it couldn't be blamed. That had been the reaction that she expected from everyone.

After all was said and done, Rose had gotten a chance to do something that she had never thought she would get to do: She tucked Steven into bed. And, at his request, she even sang him to sleep. Afterward, she spent a good part of the night up and wondering how she was going to tackle Greg. Yet the day's events left her so emotionally drained that she eventually just fell asleep beside her son.

Now it was the next day, and the two of them went into town to find Greg. From the brief glimpses that she got of Steven's life, she knew that he was still at the car was, but not much else. From what she had seen, he was surprising absent for a good portion of Steven's life, and that troubled her a bit.

In any case, they were now in the old town that she remembered, and they were coming up on Greg's place of business. The van that he had throughout all these years was parked right in front of it, and Rose had to pause to get herself ready.

She and Steven had decided that it would be best for him to go first, and then she would come in once the ice was broken. She had no idea how this would go, but there was no turning back. Looking down at Steven, she gave him a determined nod. She owed Greg this, that much was certain.

* * *

The day before had been long and tiring for Steven. In fact, when he had gotten home, he had passed out right after the last of Rose's lullaby hung through the air. It stayed with him in his dreams, making him rest easier than he had in a long time.

Once morning approached, Steven and Rose headed out to town to find Greg upon her request. The two of them made their way through the streets. He waved and greeted some Beach City citizens that passed by them, although there were not many considering the early ours of the morning. However, there was one that stopped and remarked, "Wow, is that Greg's wife?"

Hushed murmurs spread around because of that, but Steven was determined that they would be able to reach Greg first. He walked quickly, maneuvering them around until they finally approached the carwash. Thankfully, it seems to be vacant, not a soul in sight.

Sharing a nod with Rose, he headed up to the door of the carwash. Knowing that his father didn't believe that there were any thieves in Beach City aside from raccoons, he opened it with ease, finding it unlocked. Steven walked further inside until his gaze landed on his father, who was fiddling with some tools.

Greg looked up at him and immediately smiled, setting a wrench back into his toolbox, "Steven! Hey, buddy, how have you been? I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to drop by yesterday, Ol' Barb needed me to help her out with her car. Is there something I can do for you?"

Steven shook his head and looked oddly serious, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, dad, I actually, uh, have a bit of a... Situation?"

"A situation? Is something the matter? You need help with anything?" Greg asked, immediately growing concerned. He approached his son with one hand on his hip.

The boy shook his head in return, holding his hands up, "Not quite. Don't freak out, dad, there's just something out back for you and-"

"Oh, Steve, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."

"Wait! Dad!"

Greg didn't listen though, far too worried about something that could be posing as something bad for Steven. The boy tried to catch up to him, but to no avail, his father was still quick despite his age. A small sigh left him and he reached his hand out helplessly, letting him go in the end. Maybe this would be better?

Meanwhile, Greg went towards the door with a certain amount of caution. His long hair flowed behind him with each movement when he paused at the doorway. Looking out, he started to talk, asking, "Hey, is everything out here alri... Ght?"

His voice broke towards the end of his sentence when he saw a formidable figure that was standing in front of the carwash. The sunlight was illuminating her curls, showing them off, falling around her face. She was like an angel and oh, he was the one falling, hard. Greg felt his jaw drop in disbelief, any tension immediately escaping him from the shock that flooded through him.

" _Rose_?"

* * *

Once she had given him the okay, Steven went into the car wash in search of his father. While she was waiting, Rose started to think of what she should first say when Greg came out. This was likely going to shock him, but at least Steven was giving him something of a heads-up. It would still be unbelievable, but at least he would be ready.

She stood the ringing her hands while she waited, going through the possibilities in her head. That's when she heard Steven call out to Greg, and she froze. He was coming out, and she didn't have anything ready. And, from the sound of Steven's tone, he wasn't done talking to him.

Rose stood there, her mind drawing a blank, and it was then that he appeared.

When Rose first got a look at him, very few changes were prevalent to her. The only thing that she really saw that was different was the fact that his hair had almost fully receded from the top of his head. Other than that, he looked largely unchanged from the last time that she had actually seen him.

When he finally laid eyes on her, Rose was yet again drawing a blank. After everything that they had discussed all those years ago, she was incredibly unsure of what he was going to think. After all, she had left him to raise Steven alone. It could not have been easy for him, even with the help of the gems. But when he uttered her name, she felt compelled to say _something_ to him.

"I know that this seems unbelievable." Rose said to him, "I know what I said to you. If you just take the time to listen to us, we can tell you how this happened. And...then maybe I can explain some things to you that I should have before."

* * *

When she spoke that was when he knew that it was really her. Nobody else that he ever met could speak in such a soft, velvety tone, nor could they look so pretty and pained at the same time. The _why_ or _how_ of the situation was not really registering to him, replaced by the buzz going through him that was _her_.

That was Rose — that was _his_ Rose.

Greg could not really register what she was saying. His body was soon moving forward, taking slow steps towards her. He swallowed down something that was increasingly coming up in his throat. Not once did his eyes leave her until he was up close to her.

She was still taller than him. The small realization made him smile unknowingly. Carefully, he stood on his tippy toes and reached up, his fingers brushing against her cheeks. A quiet breath escaped from him, making him chuckle.

"You're still as beautiful as I remember you." He whispered, nothing except wonder and sincerity flooding his tone as he looked up at Rose. His love long lost had at last been found, just for now, just for today.

* * *

Even though Rose had tried to explain herself, and what was going on, it seemed that Greg was only partially listening to her at best. As she spoke about explaining things, he began to approach her. Could it be that he had already made up his mind about how he felt without even listening to her? Was he angry? Whatever the case may have been, Rose found that she was unable to move away, and was simply rooted in place as he approached.

"I know I left you to raise Steven by yourself," Rose went on as he continued to approach slowly, "it was wrong of me to do that to you. I know I should have told you more but I just couldn't bear to..." Rose trailed off as Greg finally got to her, and he looked up with that same expression.

A stunned expression came to her face when his hand made contact with her face, and what he said only made it stay for a while longer. After all these years, he still loved her. She should have known that he would. The two of them rarely fought when they were together, and he was always the one to be understanding of everything.

The expression on her face faded, and her eyes slowly closed, a single tear falling out of the corner of her eye. Compelled by a need to not make him stretch up to her anymore, Rose slowly lowered herself down so that she was sitting on her knees so that they were now at about an even level.

She didn't know what Greg ever saw in her, but she knew that he was one of the best things to ever come into her life.

* * *

Greg could not help continuing to gaze at her with loving eyes. His heart felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest, its pace only increasing by the rising second that he realized that it truly was Rose right there. She was in front of him, unrestrained and as wonderful as he remembered her.

Carefully, she kneeled down in front of him and the two of them came to eye level. When he saw the tear stream down her cheek, his thumb reached out to brush against it, not realizing that one ran down his own cheek. The feeling solidified within him, making him realize that yes, this was really happening. She was truly there in front of him, the angel that crashed in on his life — he would never regret the day that he met her.

Leaning forward, Greg gave a very gentle press of their lips. It was short, yet meaningful, meant to convey that he was truly happy to have the opportunity to see her one more time.

He pulled away and their eyes met before leaning forward and wrapping his arms gently around her neck. It would be humorous to see from an outsider's perspective, someone as short as him hugging a woman as tall as her, but to them, it had been a fairly normal occurrence. It was just how they were.

"I'm so glad that you're here," he found himself whispering, voice low and rumbly with an almost sad chuckle, "I missed you so much, Rosie."

This felt like a dream that he didn't want to wake up from.

* * *

The instant that she fell down to her knees, Rose felt him getting closer. She then felt his lips against her own, and an old feeling was brought back to her. It made her think back to when they shared their very last kiss and all the unspoken emotions that were shared between the two. It was very calming.

The kiss between them was very brief, but it meant so much to her. He didn't care about how she had gotten here, he was just happy to see her. It had been so many years since the two had last met. All a blur to her, but he had to go through every single second of it.

"I'm glad to see you too Greg," Rose said, wrapping her arms around him in a similar fashion. "I know that it must have been difficult for you... and I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to be there and help you along the way. While there is a lot about me being here that needs explaining, I want you to know something."

Looking over to the entrance of the car wash, Rose noticed that Steven was standing there looking at them.

"I plan on making this up to the both of you." Rose went on, "After all this is discussed, I want to spend the day with both of you. It doesn't matter what it is you want, I'll make it happen. I think that you at least deserve that after all that you've been through these past years."

* * *

Comforting arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him in closer than the both of them originally had been. Being so close to her brought him a sense of nostalgia from years before, bringing him back. Although he knew that he was not nearly as old as Rose was, as a human, he was getting there. Somehow, he found this to be a miracle. Rose could have come back during Steven's lifetime when Greg was long gone, but he wasn't. They were there and have been brought together by fate for their paths to interlock once more.

His comment about Rose being as beautiful as he remembered her was completely true. Greg recalled the day that he saw her at one of his vacant shows. Across the rows of chairs, she had been stunning, immediately catching his full attention. She had blown him away and he had gladly fallen for her.

If love at first sight existed, it had happened in that moment.

Greg surrounded himself in all of these thoughts for awhile while he ran his fingers gently through Rose's hair. She spoke to him and he shook his head at the apology. The two of them had spoken plenty before Steven's birth and had prepared for the future. He hadn't _cared_ about all of the secrets that Rose carried — all that he wanted was the Rose that existed in the present with him, not the one that haunted her past.

He pulled away very gently when she promised them a day together. This made his eyes widen, clearly surprised by the gesture and that he would be able to spend that much time with her. His lip wobbled before tears slipped down his cheeks, but his lips formed into a clear smile. Bringing his sleeve up, he wiped away the tears and took in a deep breath.

"I'm- I'm sorry, I'm just so happy. This is _unbelievable_!" Greg exclaimed, a smile spreading into a grin with a quiet sniff and chuckle, nodding eagerly, "We'll go over everything and then we can do that. Oh, there's so many things I need to show you that you've missed in the last few years, but… It's okay. We'll have time for that."

* * *

When Greg Pulled away from their embrace, she immediately noticed the tears that started rolling down his cheeks. She at first thought that maybe she had said something wrong, but that was quickly erased from her mind when she saw the smile that came to his face.

It reminded her of that night he attempted to fuse with her, and how they discussed their relationship. Rose had been with men of the planet before she had met Greg, but it was the first time that anyone of them had ever spoken of something long term. So many times men had come into her life, and they never wanted anything more than just a few days with her before moving on. For the longest time, she thought that was just how human relationships worked.

It wasn't until Greg that she found out about a deeper bond that humans shared, and he had asked her to join with him in it. To which she had joyfully agreed to it.

"It's okay." Rose said, give a smile of her own, "We just have to clear a few things up. I think you should know how I got here."

Rose waved over to Steven, wanting him to be there while things got explained. If she had missed something from before hand, he could at least fill in the gaps.

 **SomeTime Later**

"And so, he and I spent most of the day just talking everything over." Rose said to Greg, wrapping up the story that the two were telling, "I'm sorry that I didn't show up sooner, but it was a very draining day. Everyone was exhausted, Steven especially. Though, I will say that the addition you made to the temple was a very nice one."

* * *

That was probably for the best. Greg still had not an inkling of an idea as to why Rose was there. Of course, it had registered into him that it was highly unusual, which was putting it in light terms, but he had not wondered yet about why exactly she was there. He did get pretty caught up in the sight of Rose and the flurry of emotions that came with the scene. Now though, he was curious, even more so since Rose said that she wanted to tell him why all of this was happening.

Steven walked forward, making Greg realize that he was there. He glanced over at his son, who nodded at his mother in agreement. With a small smile, Steven reached out to wrap his hands into one of Rose's and one of Greg's as well.

For the first time, they were together, as a family. The fact made Steven lightly smile.

With a nod, the boy remarked, "We have a _lot_ to talk about."

Almost an hour passed before the duo were done informing Greg on everything that he missed. Dang, and he thought that it had been Rose that had been missing out on everything. He did not cry like Steven had and was far more patient and understanding, hardly speaking up unless it was to agree with Rose here and there. Silently, he had held her hand and squeezed it when a particularly hard part came up that was hard for her to swallow.

Once they were done, Greg deeply inhaled and began to respond, everything still processing, "Wow, I…Uh, just, wow. This is a lot, but I completely understand, both the information and you not coming to talk to me. Nobody told me, but that was probably for the best. Thank you for everything, Rose…"

He trailed off and rubbed his thumb into the palm of her hand, sending her a light and slightly sad smile.

"So… You're only going to be here for a little while?"

* * *

All things considered, Greg took the news that he was given extremely well. Yes, he was still shocked, but that was to be expected with everything that had been dumped on him. That was one of the many things that Rose loved about him though. He was resilient no matter what was thrown his way. No doubt it was a big help throughout the years.

That's when his question came up, and Rose was slightly stunned to have to think about that. Even with the comforting motion of his hand, she really did not know how to tackle that question. Cloning was something that even home world had tried to tackle, though they were never successful. At most, the cloned gems would last a week. At the absolute worst, they would degrade and shatter before they could even form.

"That's what Peridot told me." Rose said to him, squeezing his hand a slight bit, "She has no idea how long it will last, but I've made it a full day already. Never the less, I don't want this time wasted. We already spoke to most of the gems as is, and I tied up as many loose ends as I could with them."

Rose then looked at both Greg and Steven with a pretty serious face, It wasn't to scare or intimidate them, but to simply show that she was saying what she meant.

"I don't want this to be another day of sadness." Rose told them, "So long as I am here, I want this to be remembered as something good happening. I want this to be a day where we could be a real family, and do the things that we once didn't think we would get to do. I want this to be a good day."

* * *

Peridot was an extremely smart gem. She was on par with Pearl and even surpassed her, being highly intelligent, considering it had been her job to be so. If that was her guess, then chances were that was right. A week at best, huh? He shouldn't have expected anything more, after all, that was more than enough.

Again, he was absolutely understanding of the situation. After all, it was a miracle altogether that Rose could even be there in the first place. This thought had crossed Greg's mind multiple times now, not just once or twice, but it still rang true. In fact, this was one of the best things that had happened to him since Steven was born. There was absolutely no denying that.

Just another minute with Rose was pure bliss. An _entire_ day was a blessing.

"Of course it will be good. I have so much that I'm going to show you and we'll do a lot together. You'll be amazed at how much we'll be able to fit into one day." Greg told her with a small grin to show how much he was looking forward to this. He brought her hand up gently and leaned his cheek against it with a low hum.

Steven, who had been standing to the side and acted somewhat less involved, also nodded. Truthfully, he was a bit shy about this. Sure, he had dreamt about a day like this before, yet never expected for it to happen. A deep breath was exhaled by him and he smiled, "It'll be great and... Really real."

* * *

Rose's sentiments were heard very clearly by both of them if the way they reacted was anything to go by. No matter how much time had passed, it seemed that Greg was up for anything with her. It just went to prove that, the more things changed, the more the stayed the same.

Greg did have a point though. For as long as a gem could live, there was so much that could happen in such a short amount of time. You could really fit an entire lifetime into just one single day. Whether it was just catching up with their old friends, or spending all that time just doing things they loved, it could all be used without any waste.

While Rose didn't know where she could possibly start, this was not a day for her to decide what to do. It was meant for them, and she would do anything to make sure that they got everything they wanted. While Steven seemed hesitant, she wasn't about to let that deter her from making sure that he got the full experience of having a mom.

"Well, whatever it is you guys want, it will happen." Rose said in a very confident and uplifting tone, "So, where shall we start?"

* * *

Where _should_ they start? That was a good question. There were so many places in Beach City that they could show to Rose. If they were lucky then they could get through most of it, however, what they needed to do was hit the most important parts.

Steven personally stayed out of it, waiting for his parents to decide where to go. Although he wanted to participate in this, he also wished for his parents to have this moment together. He already got to spend some time with Rose whereas Greg did not receive the same opportunity.

"How about..." Greg spoke up and trailed off before a lightbulb clicked in his mind, "How about we go and visit Vidalia? You should really see how Sour Cream is nowadays... I'm sure they'd love to see you."

It was a simple suggestion. After all, Vidalia had been their friend for years, or at least his. He wished for Rose to see the other Beach City residents, to see how much they changed throughout the years and how everything has been.

He stood up and closed his hand over Rose's own, clutching it close and hoping to be able to help her up on her feet.

* * *

 _Vidalia_? Well, that was certainly not someone that had crossed Rose's mind. But, with everything going on, she couldn't think of everyone all at once. She and Greg had a history with the woman that went back a long way. Ever since Greg got to Beach City, they had been pretty close friends.

"I think that's a great idea." Rose said, taking his hand, hoisting herself up, "We'll have to give them the short version of the story, but it will be nice to see them again."

It was true. Rose hadn't seen Sour Cream since he was still a child. Nowadays the boy would be in his twenties. She sincerely hoped that he would still be around. With no time to waste, the trio started down the street to where Rose remembered her old house to be.

It was getting later in the morning now, so there were a lot more people roaming the streets. As she walked hand in hand with Greg, many people stopped what they were doing to simply look at her. Many of them were familiar eyes, and others new. While she didn't pay the comments much mind, she did hear a few of them.

 _Rose? How on earth is she here? Is that really her? Greg said she was gone._

All valid questions and concerns, but she would get to them all in good time.

After a short walk, they made their way to the old house that Rose remembered. She knew that there were going to be questions, but she hoped that they wouldn't mind the short version of everything. Approaching the front door, they knocked and waited for the family to answer. After a few seconds, an older Sour Cream came to the door.

"Hey Steven, hey Greg, what brings you-" he stopped mid-sentence when his eyes landed on her, and she simply offered him a small smile. Not taking his wide eyes off of her, the young man turned his head to shout over his shoulder, "MOM!"

* * *

The time that it took for everyone to gather together and head down to Vidalia's home was not long. Steven was rather excited to see this since he had no idea that Rose had actually been close to Vidalia's family along with Greg. That was something that exhilarated him, only he hoped that it would actually go well and not be a bust.

Greg was also looking forward to it. While he clutched Rose's hand as they went down their way, he heard the whispers that surrounded them. He was well aware of the questions that danced around the duo like flames. Rose would take care of it later or even he would tell them what was going on.

Right now, they had to focus on this.

It was not too long before they came to Vidalia's front door. Rose knocked on it and it was soon answered by none other than Sour Cream. He was casual at first until he realized the prominent form that was Rose. Immediately, he shouted for Vidalia to come down and see.

"See? I told you that he's grown." Greg commented with a chuckle.

" _What_? Who is it?" Vidalia's voice became prominent as she came down the staircase. She probably looked older than how Rose remembered her, splatters of paint running down her uniform. The woman froze when her eyes laid upon Rose and her eyes widened in surprise, "What the- Rose!? How on Earth-"

Greg cut in, "It's a long story… Mind if we come in?"

"Oh my, of course, of course," Vidalia insisted with a nod and still looked to be pretty perplexed, "This better be good, Greg."

* * *

He certainly has," Rose said, chuckling a slight bit. The last time that the two had seen each other was when Sour Cream was still just a child. Of course, he was going to look different after all these years, but she didn't expect something like this. And his voice was much different as well.

After Sour Cream had called out for his mother, it didn't take long before she came. She, like him, was just as shocked to see their old friend. When they were invited in, he sidestepped to get out of their way. Rose had to duck down in order to get inside, but she was once she was actually inside.

"It's so good to see you again, Vidalia." Rose greeted her old friend, bending down to give her a hug, "You've changed quite a bit, but I will never forget that face. Also, I should let you know, that painting you did of me is going to good use."

The painting that had been in the home she and Steven went to last night was actually done by her a long time back. It was truly a masterpiece, and she couldn't thank Vidalia enough when she had done it. Rose then looked over to Sour Cream, who still had his wide eyes fixed on her.

"And you, look at you." Rose said, looking over his matured features, "The last time I saw you, you could barely reach up to my knees. You look so much different from when you were a baby. But you've turned into quite the handsome young man."

"Um, thanks, Rose." Sour Cream knew that Rose wouldn't want him caller her Mrs. Universe, seeing as how the two families were long time friends. "I'm gonna go get some drinks for us. Don't start the story without me, because I really need to hear. this."

With a nod given to him by Rose, the boy went into the kitchen. While he was doing that, Rose and the rest of them went into the living room to have a seat. From the looks of things, Vidalia was still painting after all these years and was just as good if not better than she had been.

"You're paintings still look amazing," Rose complemented the woman, "So, how about we get started?"

"So, we went to the wash, I explained everything to Greg, and here we are now," Rose said, taking a sip of the lemonade that had been provided by Sour Cream. "I know it sounds insane but it is the absolute truth."

Sour Cream had lived in Beach City all his life, and had seen and heard some amazing and terrifying thing. But this? This took the cake. Cloning? He didn't even think something like that would have been possible, or legal.

"Wow." he said, putting his glass down, "That... that is some insane stuff."

* * *

Drinks had been set out on the table throughout the conversation, most of them empty because of how lengthy the explanation provided had been.

At one point, Onion had actually wandered into the living room with his eyes widening at the sight of Rose. Vidalia apologized for this and picked him up, settling him into her lap before the story continued. She would not emphatically here and there, not dropping any sarcastic comments in like when she had been younger. With age came maturity, although that was not to say that Vidalia's adventurous and expressive nature had faded at all throughout the years.

The fact that the woman in front of her was a clone still seemed pretty unbelievable to her. It was simply shocking to see a friend rise from the dead, or at least, that was how she had described it. Greg seemed so happy next to her though that it must have been the actual Rose that she had known throughout the years. The story seemed to come to an end.

A small whistle of disbelief escaped her and she shook her head, finding the entire tale to be absolutely unbelievable. While she and Amethyst went on some wild ventures when they were younger, cloning was not among the realm that they explored.

"Agreed. Sounds like you've been thrown through the whole loop since you've been here," Vidalia wholeheartedly agreed with her son, who definitely took after her when it came to her speech patterns, sending Rose a crooked smile, "Well, you didn't miss as much on my end. I married after you passed away and this little fella here was the result — his name is Onion, gotta keep the names running in the family, right?"

Onion looked up from his seat on his mother's lap. He peered at Rose, almost with disturbing concentration, before he lifted his hand and flexed his fingers as a sign of greeting.

Greg laughed at this while Steven stuck himself into his mother's side. He gave Onion a wave and a faint smile.

"Onion and Steven are friends. They hang around sometimes. Steven actually gets along with pretty much everyone around here." Greg explained to Rose, not wanting to leave her in the dark about their current position with Vidalia's family.

* * *

"Yeah well, that was bound to happen, all things considered." Rose said to the two, "Either way, it's still really good to be able to see you again. I'm really glad that you've still been doing well, and that you found someone that's good for you too."

Looking down at the small boy that was now in Vidalia's lap, Rose smiled at the name. Sure it was a little odd, but there was nothing wrong with it. She returned the wave to the boy and greeted him with a friendly smile. It was rather odd the way he was looking at her, almost as if trying to dissect her with his eyes. But Rose was not put off by it, as he never met her before.

"Well, I think he's adorable, and that's a great name." Rose said, before turning her attention to what Greg said, "Well I'm glad to hear that. Though, with everything I've seen, it doesn't look like he has a problem with making friends at all."

Meanwhile, Sour Cream had rolled his eyes at the mention of his step dad. While over the years their relationship had improved somewhat, Yellow Tail was not giving up with his complaints about his career path. It irritated him to no avail, and he just wished that Yellow Tail could be more supporting like his mom. But that was for another time. They had guests, and they were old friends.

"Yeah, the little dude's been on good terms with nearly everyone in town." He added to Greg's statement, "I even find myself hanging out with him sometimes. He can be a big help, and he's just cool to have around." He then thought back to the incident with the moss, and it almost made him shiver. He had not told his mother about that, and he never intended to.

* * *

Steven felt himself flush at all of the compliments that were being thrown his way. It was true that he got along with pretty much everyone that was around the place. There had been not a day that had gone by without him interacting with either the gems or the Beach City residents. To be honest, his favorite days were the ones where he got to mix the two together. Usually it was Amethyst that was the most willing to hang around people, as marked by her interactions with Vidalia, however, sometimes Pearl or Garnet came as well.

"Thank you. I have a lot of fun being around everyone so I guess I can't help myself." He commented with a chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck, his curly hair intertwining with his fingers.

Greg chuckled at this and nodded in agreement to what Sour Cream said. With a glance at the clock, he realized that they still had much to do and it would probably do them better than hanging around here for an hour or two. He would make sure to make it up to Vidalia later with a game of cards during a night when Barbara was around.

He stood up from the couch and took Rose's hand, nodding, "Thank you for _everything_ , Dalia. We just wanted to stop by for a bit and let you know what was going on. I think I'd love to stick around for awhile longer, but we have to get going. I still have a lot I want to show her."

Vidalia brushed this off with a chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah, I understand, thanks. You young lovers and your time. Go ahead and hang out with your 'magical girlfriend,' Greg. Make sure to stop by for dinner sometime, Steven, and bring around Big A. We'd love to have you." She said somewhat jokingly. Back when she was younger and Sour Cream was a baby, Greg would always talk about Rose. Before the two of them really got to know each other, she would call her his 'magical girlfriend' out of a better term to refer to her as.

Then, Vidalia earnestly added with a glance to the gem, "It really was good seeing you again, Rose, really. I appreciate it. Take care of yourself and have a good day, okay? Count your lucky stars that Greg shows you the right places."

To this, Greg laughed and shook his head, fondly glancing at Rose. Vidalia had always been able to tease anyone, even alien-like beings that she should have feared instead.

* * *

When Rose looked at Steven, she couldn't help but lightly laugh at the way he seemed to be slightly embarrassed by all the praise and compliments that he was receiving. He had no reason to be embarrassed, it was all of them just being honest with him.

Rose then noticed that Greg had looked at the clock, and she herself realized that there was a lot to do, and Greg likely wanted to fit as much in as he could. Standing up from the couch with him, Rose let Greg get the goodbye's and thank yous out of the way first. The nickname that Vidalia had given her was one from a long time ago, but she still laughed at it. It was just a very friendly reminder of their old days.

"It was great seeing you too, Vidalia." she said, giving the woman a bit of a hug, "I appreciate you having us. You take care of yourself and family. And don't worry, I don't think he'll give me any trouble when it comes to seeing things. After all, he's had more time to see things than me."

Sour Cream was next to receive a hug from the big woman, and he returned it without hesitation. He waved at the two adults, and then looked at Steven.

"It was great seeing your parents again, and you too." he told Steven, "Hit me up some time Steve-o. We'll go out and do something with the others. Also, have a good time with your mom."

Once the trio had exited the house, Rose took a breath and smiled. That had gone very, very well. It was so nice to be able to reconnect with old friends and see how they were doing. While it would have been nice to spend more time with them, she knew that there was still a full day ahead of them, and it wasn't even noon yet.

"Well, that was nice." she said to the two, "So, where to next?"

* * *

Vidalia had felt her heart dance happily in her chest when Rose hugged her. She had wrapped her arms around her neck and then bid her farewell, sending her off with good luck. After such a long time, it had been nice to be able to see Rose for one final meeting. Honestly, she hoped that the day would go well for her and Greg, who was bound to tell her all about it once this was done.

Onion had shifted in her lap when the two women hugged and then flexed his fingers in goodbye again, finding himself immersed in the lady. After she disappeared, he cocked his head up at Vidalia, who fondly kissed his cheek. She then looked up at Sour Cream, beginning a conversation that was bound to steal the attention of them both, most likely going to reminisce about the old days that she had spent with Greg and his wife.

Meanwhile, the trio were on their way through Beach City, away from the home. Steven wished that he could show Rose all of the lovely artwork that Vidalia had made of Amethyst, but she probably was already well aware of her artistic skill. He briefly wondered if his mother could see the world through his eyes whenever she returned to her gem. Maybe she would get a glance of it one day if that was the case — after all, he still had a long life left to live.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe _you_ could pick this time around," Greg offered with a nod, "Is there anything you miss or want to see?"

When the two of them had been younger, Greg had always taken Rose out everywhere around Beach City, the duo being able to explore together. It had been fun and he always thought that the two of them had managed to explore everything, but there was always something new. However, the pair always had their favorite spots to go to and he was hoping that Rose had one she would like to revisit. Greg, for one, was hoping to go to the beach at the end of the day to wrap their time together up.

* * *

At the suggestion that Rose was given by Greg, she had to take a bit of a pause to think about things. Truthfully, Rose had not even thought about a place that she might have wanted to go. She had only been concerned with making sure that both Greg and Steven had got what they wanted out of today.

Thinking things over for a bit, Rose quickly realized that neither she nor Steven had eaten this morning. While it wasn't a problem for her, she knew that both he and Greg had to have something in their system if they were truly going to make the absolute most of this day.

"Well, how about we head down to the strip?" Rose suggested, "We could stop and get something to eat from where we want to, and then after that, we can maybe go to the arcade for a little bit. Really, one thing I would like to do by the end of the day is just sit and watch the sunset while we're on the beach. I always love seeing that. Oh, is Kofi still around?"

* * *

Now that Greg thought about it, he was getting a little hungry. His stomach gave a small growl which made him sheepishly rub the back of his neck with his hand. He had honestly gotten caught up in his work this morning and then had been so bewildered by Rose's appearance that he had not gotten the chance to eat anything that day. Greg did love food so that was somewhat surprising for him to do.

" _Aw_ , someone is hungry," Steven joked with a laugh, moving to take hold of Rose's other hand, "I think that would be a wonderful idea, mom."

There were definitely some new places open in Beach City that Greg would love to show to Rose, however, it would probably be for the best to go somewhere that they hadn't gotten the opportunity to go to in awhile. Besides, it would be nice to be able to take Steven out somewhere.

It would be a real family outing.

"Oh yeah, Kofi is still well and kicking along with his daughters. Why? Do you want to stop by and say hello?" Greg replied, quirking his eyebrow at the idea.

* * *

As if on cue, Rose heard Greg's stomach growl at the mention of food. She couldn't help but give a light laugh at it, and it seemed that she was not the only one who thought it was funny. Steven was quick to give a joke of his own before laughing.

After that, he came and took her other hand. Smiling down at him, the three started down the sidewalk once more, again turning heads as they went along. There were plenty of familiar faces that looked at them, but there were also new people that she had never seen before. At Greg's question, Rose saw the movement of his eyebrows.

"Well, I think it would be nice to at least go by and see how things are with them." Rose told him with a smile, "After all, I can't even remember the number of times we went there. Plus, I don't even remember what his girls look like after all this time. If we decide to have something to eat there, I wouldn't complain. But, that's up to you guys. After all, I'm sure that there are so many other places that we have to go to. I mean, without breakfast, some donuts wouldn't be bad either. By the way, are the same people we knew from before still there, or are there new people working now?"

* * *

"Of course, we can go there. I think they've only gotten better after all of these years. And his girls are doing fine, I'm sure you'll love them." Greg assured her with a nod and a comforting smile. He had asked Rose where she would want to go after all so it was natural that they would go over to Kofi's restaurant. After all, he hadn't talked to him in awhile so it would be nice to catch up altogether.

Before she had passed, Rose had been pretty well known among the Beach City residents at the time. Greg would be happy to bring her around despite how Pearl would insist that they should stay away from those 'pesky humans.' Since then, her views had obviously changed, however, back then he had never listened to her. Rose valued human life and had wished to explore their ways as a whole so who was he to stop her? Even now, he wondered if she was fascinated by the way that everything changed and if she felt happy or sad about it.

At the mention of the Big Donut, it was Steven that spoke up for once, giving his insight on the topic. He glanced up at Rose with a smile that was clear as day as he talked away to her, "New! At least, I hope, or else I really have their ages mixed up. Their names are Lars and Sadie who are dating. Lars used to be really grumpy, but now he just frowns a lot. I think you'll really like Sadie though."

In the past two years, a lot had been fixed up between the two teenagers, who had gotten together. Sadie had learned to not set her expectations so high when it came to Lars and in return, Lars slowly came out of his phase and began to be more considerate of Sadie's feelings. Nowadays, the two of them actually made a playful and good couple, having matured into adults that were getting through her college. Steven thought that Rose would like them.

* * *

It seemed that Rose had been right to ask about who was working around the town now. While some of the old business's were still owned and run by the family's that she remembered, others had moved on to different things. It was to be expected, especially with all the time that had passed.

"I'm sure that they'll be just as surprised as everyone else," Rose said to Greg, giving him a smile. Steven continued to chat on, and it was so nice to finally hear him becoming comfortable with just talk, rather than being there to explain things that she had left out. It seemed that this was doing something very good for him.

Again, it wasn't a very long walk before the trio got to the food strip where all the old restaurants were. When they made it to Fish Stew Pizza, Rose let Steven and Greg take the lead. It was a good thing too, as Kofi seemed to be giving Jenny a hard time over who knows what.

"We'll talk about this later, we got customers." Kofi said, turning his attention to the group, "Welcome, what can I get for-" he stopped speaking the instant his eyes landed on Rose. She just smiled and shook her head. "How is... what in the... what is... How?" he stammered.

"Don't worry." she assured him, "Everything is going to get explained."

The first part of the day had been like that for the three of them. Simply trying to explain to everyone what was going on, and why she was there. Most of them took it the same way, being stunned but ultimately just accepting it, and saying it was good to see her again.

Kofi himself had been nearly stunned to silence, while the rest of his family were simply shocked. Jenny and Kiki had only ever heard stories about Rose, and couldn't remember that much about her from when they were little, so it was nice to actually have something concrete to know her by.

Fryman and his two sons had been on the same level of shock and awe. While Renaldo had been very odd in their meeting, Peedee had been absolutely amazed to get a chance to meet Steven's mother. Sometime after the conversation, Fryman actually gave the family free fries. Saying that it was a sort of welcome back gift.

Then they came to meeting the two Steven spoke of, Lars and Sadie. It was here that she found out that Sadie was Barbara's daughter, and Rose found the girl to be very likable and nice. Lars, on the other hand, seemed to be downright intimidated by her. He kept spouting out apologies to her about events she didn't even know about. Evidently, he thought that Steven had said nothing positive about him. All Rose could do was laugh, and tell him he was fine.

It went on like that for a while. Each time they stopped to tell everyone, it always ended with either a hug or a handshake, coupled with a 'great to see you' and ' good luck'. Really, seeing the old faces of good friends, and meeting up with new ones was a real treat for Rose, but she was glad she didn't have to tell the same story over again anymore.

At the moment, the three were sitting with some ice cream in their hands just outside of Fun Land. Thankfully, the rest of the day was still ahead of them, and now she didn't have to worry about the stares and questions. Now she could focus on giving these two a day to remember.

"I never thought catching up with old friends could be so much fun." Rose said, looking at what was left of her ice cream, "Well, is there anything new around that we've missed?"

* * *

Seeing everyone's reactions to her mother had been a wild ride from beginning to end.

It came by somewhat as a relief to see that so many people were happy that Rose was around. After hearing so many horror stories that the gems gave Steven about how they viewed his mother, he really was not sure how the citizens of Beach City would take the news.

On the contrary, it seemed like Rose had made friends with the majority of the Beach City residents before she passed away. Kofi and Fryman accepted her with open arms, along with Barbara and some others. Teenagers and young adults that had not been around when Rose had been or had been babies were amazed by her. It was somewhat flattering to see that they all liked her so much — she truly was charismatic.

The funniest reaction, to Steven at least, was the blubbering that Lars had committed himself to. He went off like a train waiting to wreck, absolutely nervous. Rose had laughed at him and Steven shared a few chuckles as well, assuring him that he was fine. It had been a long time since the two of them had their disputes about Steven's mother and other unpleasant topics. Steven was old enough to have moved on from that, becoming friends with Lars instead.

After a few more conversations, they headed to Funland, stopping by for some food before they dove into any of the rides. That was where they had their last discussion with Harold Smiley and Quentin Frowney, who had gotten together in the past two years after fully patching up and were an iconic couple that performed their shows often. Mister Smiley insisted on allowing for them to have the day free to themselves and even agreed to allow Steven to go on some of the rides. Once they thanked them, they got some ice cream, leading them to where they were now.

Steven had gotten strawberry ice cream with sprinkles on the top while Greg brought double scooped chocolate and vanilla ice cream. They were just starting their meals when Rose spoke up, giving a question of her own.

"Did you get the chance to talk to all of the gems? We have a lot of people on the crew now." Greg curiously asked since he had not seen any of them for the past few days.

This was where Steven jumped in, nodding, "Mom talked to Amethyst, Garnet, and Pearl first yesterday… I think she managed to patch things up with Bismuth and moreover Lapis. Peridot was just fascinated by her like most of the rubies, well, except for Eyeball, but I think she got through to her. Nephrite and her friends aren't around now though and I doubt they will be for awhile so… That just leaves Jasper?"

"It would probably be for the best to leave that as it is." Greg gently suggested, being quite close to Jasper and very aware of her unpleasant background. He had actually played a key role in bringing her around.

Steven nodded in agreement, sighing, "Yeah, she's probably at Beta."

 _Sulking_ , he thought to himself.

"I think we should try some new rides and- Oh, Rose, have you got the chance to see the Temple after all of this time?" Greg offered with his brown eyes widening while he gazed up at his wife.

* * *

Rose was about to answer Greg's question about speaking with the other Gems, but Steven beat her to the punch. Explaining their meeting with old friends, seeing old enemies turned friends, and even meeting Gems that Rose never knew before. It was impressive to see how many had come along since her passing, and quite refreshing to see that Steven had been trying to become a peacemaker.

That's when the topic of Jasper came, and the smile on Rose's face faltered. Jasper had almost attacked her yesterday, and that was about the extent of their meeting each other again. She recalled back to the war when they were fighting. Jasper had been the most relentless Gem that she had to fight. Very old and bad memories of the things that happened. They were right, it was for the best that she just let her be for the time. If she wanted to, she'd come around on her own. If she ever decided to.

Still, Rose knew that think about the past wasn't going to mesh well with today, so she put it out of her mind. This was meant to be for their happiness, and she was going to give it to them. The smile returned to her face, and Rose perked up at Greg's question.

"I'll be honest with you, we did go there last night after the day was over." Rose told him, "but we were both so physically and mentally exhausted that I barely got to see anything. I did see that you put a house there, but I didn't really get a chance to marvel at it. And we were in such a hurry this morning that I also did not have much time to look. We'll have to pop over and really look once we're done here."

* * *

Admittedly, Greg himself did not go to the Temple all too often, usually busy with work or going to the beach house to visit Steven. He went to the barn house, where a lot of the new members lived, more than the Temple. If they really did go to visit it then it would certainly be something new for him as well.

"I say we go there later, before the beach. Let's just enjoy the ice cream for now." Greg chuckled and quickly caught a trickle of his chocolate ice cream before it fell into his lap or onto the ground. Steven let out a laugh at this and focused on his strawberry ice cream as well, silently hoping that Rose was enjoying her portion.

While he knew that all gems did not like to eat — point in case, Pearl — others enjoyed it like no tomorrow (read: Amethyst, Bismuth's and Jasper). However, most quartzes seemed to enjoy Earthly delicacies, so he assumed that Rose would probably prefer it as well. Besides, who didn't like ice cream? It was like a party in your mouth.

Happy and satisfied once he finished ice cream, Steven hopped off of the bench and threw his napkins into the trash. Despite his parents not being done yet, he looked over at the two of them fondly, chuckling. This really was unbelievable. He asked them, "What rides should we go on now? Have you ever been on any before, mom?"

"I think it would be nice for her to be able to go on a Ferris wheel ride. Oh, they did manage to repair it after you broke it, Rosie." Greg commented with a nostalgic chuckle.

Steven's eyes widened in disbelief, " _Huh_? Mom broke the Ferris wheel?"

* * *

"Sounds like a plan to me," Rose said to him, getting back to her Neapolitan ice cream. While she was eating it, she thought back to all the times that she and Greg had gone out to eat. Pearl often voiced her confusion at why Rose chose to eat, while Amethyst was a heavy encourager of it. Really, Rose just loved the sensation of taste, and ice cream had always been one of her favorites.

As Steven went to go toss his napkin away, she and Greg continued to eat their own and eventually finished. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Steven looking at the two. She gave a half smile in his direction, knowing that he was just enjoying seeing the two of them together like this.

After the ice cream was finished by both of them Steven wanted to know which ride they would go on next. At the mention of the Ferris wheel, and the incident a long time ago, Rose couldn't help but bring her hand to her face and chuckle right along with Greg.

"It's a bit of a story, and one that I'll tell you all about on the way there," Rose said, standing up and taking both their hands to start making their way over tot he ride. "It was back when Sour Cream was still a baby, and that was my first experience with an infant ever. I don't remember what exactly it was that he had to do, but Greg needed to go off and get something, telling me to watch him. Now, at the time, I didn't know what that meant. I thought he just meant _literally_ watch what he did, and that's when things got... well, a little dicey."

They eventually got the Ferris wheel and Rose saw that Greg had been correct. Though, after all these years, one could expect that they would repair it.

* * *

Once the ice cream had been safely thrown out, the duo joined Rose on their walk over to the much anticipated Ferris wheel. Again, Steven reached out to take one of Rose's hands while Greg snatched the other one for himself while the story unfolded.

Greg couldn't help releasing a faint laugh at the reaction that Rose managed to pull out of Steven. The young boy was staring with wide eyes that were glued to her as she continued to speak.

Truthfully, Greg could remember all of this like it had happened yesterday. He had been young and immature, not knowing the importance of taking care of Sour Cream. Despite that, he had tried his best, admittedly a bit afraid of the threat that Vidalia left him with in the worst case scenario that something really did happen to Sour Cream.

And it _could_ have, considering the situation that Rose had left the baby in. To this day, Greg had yet to tell Vidalia the truth about what happened on that day, sure that he would lose a tooth because of it. Vidalia was a tough and scary nugget. Maybe he would tell her on her deathbed.

"A 'little dicey' means that she left him up on top of a Ferris wheel. I had to climb up and go get him." Greg finished the story with a short chuckle.

Steven gaped at them in surprise, "Mom! Wow, I'm surprised that Sour Cream was okay, dad is scared of heights."

"That makes two of us," the older of the two males said, still holding back chortles, "I realized something that day though — that I had to be more responsible. It's what led me to get a job you know?"

* * *

Rose couldn't help but give an embarrassed smile at the two when Greg explained exactly what had happened to Steven. He seemed to be just as surprised as when she told Greg where Sour Cream had gone off to.

"Hey, in my defense, he went up there himself, I didn't leave him there." Rose said in fake defense, "And besides, I took what you said literally. At the time, I didn't know what a baby was or that they didn't know any better about anything, really. I just assumed that he was as capable as an adult."

The three of them got onto the Ferris wheel car, and the operator closed the door behind them. Rose took one side of the car, while Steven and Greg had to sit on the opposite. With the difference in size, there was still a bit of unbalance, so it tipped a bit to Rose's side.

"That was the first time that I had ever seen a baby, and I didn't know that they needed to be looked after all the time." Rose went on, the wheel starting to turn, "I'm proud that you were able to do that Greg. Though, that day did make me realize something as well. Seeing him, and how he didn't have something preplanned for his life, how he could just pick where he wanted to go made me think. He was a completely blank slate that got to choose what he wanted, rather than have some predetermined life. It really was a true way to be free."

The Ferris wheel came to a stop at the very top, allowing the three of them to look over all of Beach City. Looking out over the side, Rose saw everything and everyone as they went about their day. While it may have just been an ordinary day for them, it had been something of a miracle for her to be here, and be with the ones that she loved.

"I love this view." Rose said, her eyes looking to the lighthouse, and then casting them back on Greg and Steven, "It's just so amazing to see everything here. It really is beautiful."

* * *

"Yes, yes, I know it was partially my fault. I _did_ try to explain how babies worked to you though." Greg also mock defended himself with a chuckle before the grand Ferris wheel was standing right in front of them. There was next to nobody waiting for the ride, so the operator simply motioned for the trio to get on. With a nod, they headed inside.

After a bit of comical struggling, with the small car tipping back and forth from side to side, it was decided that Rose would have to sit on her own. Greg sat on the other side with Steven close to him. Despite being a grown rotund man and Steven an older teenager, the car still leaned to the side in favor of Rose. This only caused for more fondness to bubble forward though.

That was when his wife went on about how she had seen the day and what it had made her realize. Greg looked at her with loving eyes. He had always liked how Rose managed to find humans and their natures pertaining being able to grow however they wanted to be something precious. It came to show how much she cared about humanity and how she viewed them in comparison to the beginning of Greg's relationship with her. Views certainly did change with time, resulting in pride.

"Wow," Steven spoke up and then cracked a smile, "That is pretty amazing now that you mentioned. I hope that one day, everyone in the universe will be able to choose who they want to be rather than who they should be."

It was true that Steven was confident that reform can still happen. Even if it wasn't in his lifetime because who knew how long that would be, he did know that it was possible. He would always fight for it and would never dare give up. It could get better and it _would_. That was what was important.

Greg hummed in agreement until his eyes settled on the lighthouse. It was late in the afternoon so the sky was a beautiful blue color that spread out above them. He didn't focus on how high it was, not wanting to ruin the moment, instead, he spoke up.

"Almost as beautiful as you," he commented with a chuckle, continuing, "Sometimes I wonder how long that lighthouse will keep standing. I'm always curious about it."

* * *

Rose was glad to see that Greg was quick to pick up on her joking defense. It was something that just made the two of them click even more than they already did. With him always being so understanding, it was no wonder that they were able to stay together as long as they did.

The way that Steven responded to her small story made her heart swell a bit. It had seemed that, along with some of the things she didn't wish she gave to him, he also inherited the traits of her philosophy's as well. While she was sure that he had caught on to it by now, that was the main reason that all of this started. While Rose may have deeply regretted what she had done, she never once regretted her reasoning behind it.

Freedom was the right of all sentient beings, and she wanted her kind to have it as well. While she had failed, she could only now hope that he might see that vision become a true reality. After all, he already proved that he was far better than her.

At Greg's next compliment, Rose sent him a loving smile. He never let her forget that, no matter what happened between the two of them, she would always know that he loved her. As much as she tried to return it on the same level, she knew that it would never match his.

"Me too." she told him, the wheel starting to move once more, "Maybe we'll take a walk over there later."

As they got to the bottom of the ride, the person running it came to open the door for them. As they exited, the three began to walk through the park once more. They had gotten by the old pier when suddenly music started playing from the speakers. She immediately recognized the song and was in utter disbelief.

The song was familiar and comforting, reminding her of a very important day in both her and Greg's life. The song that they danced to during their union.

"Remember our song, Greg?" Rose whispered to him, taking his hand as she led him to the pier. Taking his hands in a familiar fashion, she imitated the day of their first dance. Once she was ready, she began to sing along with the tune.

 _"The day we met,_  
 _Frozen I held my breath_  
 _Right from the start_  
 _I knew that I'd found a home for my heart..._  
 _... beats fast_  
 _Colors and promises_  
 _How to be brave?_  
 _How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?_  
 _But watching you stand alone_  
 _All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow"_

 _"One step closer"_

 _"I have died every day waiting for you_  
 _darling don't be afraid I have loved you_  
 _for a thousand years_  
 _I'll love you for a thousand more"_

As they danced, Rose waited for the next part, hoping that Greg Still remembered.

* * *

The rest of the ride on the Ferris wheel was spent in comfortable silence. Greg mostly focused on Rose in order to not allow for his silly paranoia to get in the way, enjoying the view of her much more than the one outside. Steven, on the other hand, who had not inherited the fear of heights, stared out the window at the people that were below. It was starting to grow later and later, unfortunately signifying that the day was probably going to come to an end sooner than any of them anticipated.

Still, after all of these years, Steven found that just this one day was more than enough for him. He appreciated it deeply and knew that he would treasure it for years to come, looking back on a single day that he had gotten to spend with his family.

Waves rippling along the shoreline was the last thing that Steven saw before the ride came to a seemingly abrupt end. Due to still being fairly short for his age — curse his unusual aging process — he needed help coming down from the car, but did not have too much difficulty. He followed after his parents, who were both hand-in-hand.

A song suddenly came out of the speakers. It was a soft tune that Steven immediately recognized. To be frank, the song was quite popular among more sentimental youths that looked upon love with fondness. The composer herself seemed quite great too. Hearing that someone his age or even his dad heard it was not unlikely, however, he felt surprise course through him when it turned out that _Rose_ knew it too.

 _Their song?_

Greg himself was experiencing varying emotions when the melody flowed out of the speakers. His gaze moved out to focus on Rose. Oh, the pure coincidence that this would play now… It was wonderful. Rose took both of his hands and soon enough they were dancing on the practically empty pier.

Hearing her sing so sweetly brought up a storm of emotions that made his eyes crinkle out of joy. It had been a long time since the both of them sang together, much less their wedding song. They gave a twirl as Rose trailed off even though the song was not quite done yet. Greg took this as a cue to pick up the song and did so willingly and with his utmost pleasure, voice sprung with pure feelings of love.

 _"Time stands still_  
 _Beauty in all she is_  
 _I will be brave_  
 _I will not let anything, take away_  
 _What's standing in front of me_  
 _Every breath, every hour has come to this_

 _One step closer_

 _I have died every_ _day, waiting for you_  
 _Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years_  
 _I'll love you for a thousand more…"_

Steven, who was standing in his distance, had taken his phone out and began to record the scene, all the way back when Rose had begun.

* * *

When she heard him begin singing, Rose thought she might burst out of sheer joy. Music was always a part of their lives when she was still in this world, but to be able to experience something like this again... she really didn't think that words would be able to ever describe it.

Hearing his voice, the same way that it had sounded on their wedding day, was nothing short of pure bliss. As he came to the end of one part, she joined in with him.

 _"And all along I believed I would find you_  
 _Time has brought your heart to me_  
 _I have loved you for a thousand years_  
 _I'll love you for a thousand more..."_

 _"I'll love you for a thousand more..."_

The music came to a break, and the two hummed along with the tune before the music picked back up again.

 _"One step closer"_

She then took the lead once more, knowing that another moment with the two of them singing together was about to come up shortly after it.

 _"I have died every day waiting for you_  
 _Darling don't be afraid I have loved you_  
 _For a thousand years_  
 _I'll love you for a thousand more"_

* * *

This was truly a moment that Greg thought he would never be able to relive. Tears prickled his eyes when he heard his wife sing the glorious song, her voice appearing angelic in comparison to the original tune. He would join into the melody when it was appropriate, sounding dulled down in comparison, yet giving it his all.

Greg never understood why Rose fell in love with a fool like him.

Another part where the two of them sang together came up. Sweetly, he went with it, more than willing in the act while he allowed for Rose to take the lead once more. She had always been better than him at that.

 _"And all along I believed, I would find you_  
 _Time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years_  
 _I'll love you for a thousand more..."_

The song came to an end in perfect harmony. That was when Greg tipped himself forward and leaned up, gently meeting their lips in unison, feeling that it was appropriate. Relief flourished through him while he was brought back to his older days, his eyes shutting.

This was what it felt like to be in love.

* * *

As the two of them finished the last bit of the song, the melody continued to play for a short while longer. Knowing what was bound to be coming next, Rose bent down a slight bit so that she could meet him halfway. Her intuition had been right, and their lips met.

While this was hardly their first kiss of the day, this was definitely one of the most meaningful. The feeling of it, coupled with their prior reliving of their wedding day, was just something that felt so right. Even though she was not truly supposed to be here, she could not think of anything else that she would rather be doing at all. It was just so perfect.

The kiss lasted a good while, and when they finally separated, she opened her eyes to look at him once more. The joyful face she was met with was one that brought her back to their early days. Back when they had quite literally nothing but each other.

Greg had always said he considered himself the luckiest man alive to have the chance just to be with her, but he wasn't the only one who had strong feelings about their union. Before he had come into her life, Rose was not exactly in the best way.

Despite what all the gems might have said about her, Rose had only ever worn a mask of being happy when they were around. Not wanting them to ever have to feel the burden that she did, and just let them enjoy their lives like she had always hoped they could. Because of this, Rose was often trying to numb herself with everything the world had to offer, simply trying to take the edge off.

When he had come into her life, Greg had done something that she didn't think was possible. He made her feel like she was worthy of feeling happy again. While many of the gems would ask if she was alright, he had a way of getting her to speak about things without saying a word. He made her feel like everything was okay, and that she was allowed to enjoy life again, even if _she_ didn't think she did.

Yes, Pearl had always been there for her, and she was immensely grateful for her, but she never wanted her to be burdened with her problems. While she and Pearl had always had an understanding relationship, she and Greg started out rocky and unsure. It was confusing, different, and all around alien to her.

Yet, through perseverance, time, and a lot of effort to understand on both of their parts, they found something that Rose didn't know she could still have. She could have a life where she didn't have to be afraid of what she did, have someone understand who wasn't there at the time, and still tell her it was alright.

The reality was, she owed Greg her life. All she wanted was to return the same amount of love that he had given to her. Even if it wasn't enough, she always gave it. Even if he deserved better, she always gave him her best.

"I love you." she whispered to him, "I don't want you to ever forget that." Looking up to the sky, she saw that it was getting close to being evening. "What do you say that we go watch the sunset?"

* * *

They still swayed for awhile longer after they pulled away and Greg found himself getting lost in old memories.

Despite their stark differences, the two of them still managed to connect by some amazing miracle. He never understood why Rose picked him. and he probably never would, but he was grateful for it nonetheless. The time they spent during his young adulthood had been the best that he ever had. Whether or not it was just the two of them reading comic books together, or reminiscing about their backgrounds, he always appreciated her.

There had been many times in the past that he had considered dating again. After all, he had thought about it many times in the past, considering downloading an app or two to see if something could happen. However, he would then think about Rose and everything that she had done for him. While he was sure that she would want him to be happy, he found that he _was_. He had Steven and all of his friends. Greg didn't need another lover because he knew that even if he did get another one, they would never be as good as Rose was.

He was hers and she was his — not in the sense that they belonged to each other, but that their souls were intertwined with each other.

"I love you too," Greg replied as the song began to switch, pausing in his movements. His hands squeezed hers and they stayed like that for a moment before they separated one of their hands, keeping the others together. With a chuckle, he agreed, "Down at the beach?"

That was when Steven ran up to the two of them with a big wide grin that showed his teeth, waving his phone.

"That was so _cute_! I got all of that on tape!"

* * *

Greg pulled away from her, only dropping one of her hands so that they were now side by side once more. At his question and the way he laughed, Rose smiled down at him once more and nodded to what they already both knew was the answer.

Just as she was about to call Steven over to start walking down to the beach, he came running up to her with a device in his hand that she had not seen before. The last time that she had heard the use of the word tape, it was used by a rather large device actually containing what was known as a video tape. This thing, however, looked far too small to hold one of those.

"Well, I'm glad you got to enjoy it as well," Rose said to him, being genuine with him. It really was true, seeing as how it would be nice for either Greg or Steven to be able to look back and remember it. "We're going to have a walk down to the beach and watch the sunset. After that, I think we'll all head back to the beach house.

Extending her other hand out to Steven, She waited for her son to join them.

* * *

Steven was honestly very excited to have such a precious moment recorded on his phone. Now, he felt like he really was a part of the family tradition when it came to recording videos. Maybe one day he would be able to show his children this if he ever had any, teaching them about their grandparents and how they had been during his lifetime. He could only imagine their looks of amazement when they would become aware of the both of them.

It made him smile.

Rose told him what was on the agenda for the rest of the day and he couldn't be happier. Tucking his phone into his pocket, Steven reached out and wrapped their fingers together. He offered her a squeeze while they began to head down to their destination, being led by Greg himself.

"I love going down to the beach. I remember when we used to do it all the time." Greg commented with a warm smile as he took the both of them further down the boardwalk, reminiscing about the days where he and Rose would walk down the shore underneath the bright night sky. Those days had always been marvelous and beautiful.

He wondered if they would be able to stay there until the sun went all the way down, surrounding themselves in that warm familiarity.

* * *

After Steven took the hand that she had offered to him, Rose felt Greg begin to take the lead with making their way to the beach. He spoke of the times that the two of them spent there and she smiled at the thought of it. It was such a simple thing, but it was something that the two of them loved so dearly.

It was a bit of a longer walk than all the other ones, mainly due to the fact that they were on the opposite side of the town, but they also didn't make any stops this time. Along the way, they passed by several people that they had met up with. This time, however, there were no shocked expressions or whispered questions. Only looks of happiness and waves in their directions.

It seemed as though all of Beach City had done a complete one hundred and eighty degree turn from this morning. They had even passed by Vidalia and her family, who all looked extremely happy at the sight of the three of them.

When they finally made it to the beach, Rose sat herself down so that the waves of the surf wouldn't get too close to any of them. Once she was situated, she motioned for Greg and Steven to come and take a seat on either side of her. Looking to the horizon, she saw that the sun was about half way through touching the shoreline.

"I always loved this sight." she said to both of them, "It's just something so beautiful that always remains constant. Something that, no matter what, you can always enjoy."

* * *

As the trio made their way down the beach, they ran across some friends once again. This time, the interactions were far sweeter and even symbolic, particularly to Greg. It was like they were giving one final nod to each other from family to family and the smiles they were wearing were ones that wished them luck pertaining to the future. They were sweet and meaningful.

Steven did not want for this day to come to an end; Greg knew that when it would, it would be wrapped up beautifully.

Eventually, the three of them made their way down near the waves. Rose took her seat by them, yet not too close, careful so that the water did not splash onto her. She motioned for the both of them to sit on either side of her and they were more than happy to oblige. Greg took her right while Steven took her left.

Greg could not help agreeing with her words. Sunsets were always dazzling and beautiful. They never changed and they could always be expected at the end of the day. If someone had nothing else then they could have the sight of the sweet sun setting, whispering to them _goodnight_. That was what he had when he had been homeless.

On the other hand, Steven recalled how Jasper loved sunsets too, except that it was for a different reason. She enjoyed the way the hues of pink and orange melded together into one. It made her feel like this place really was her home and that she was meant to be there.

This reminded him of his mother.

"I'm glad we have this moment together. I think... I never really appreciated sunsets until now." Steven admitted with a faint and almost sad smile.

* * *

While Rose did enjoy a day full of activity and being able to do things with the men of her life, she also greatly enjoyed the slow moments of the day. When she had lived her life during the war, she rarely got a chance to enjoy the simple beauty of the planet that she had so greatly come to love. It was really ironic in a way.

Steven spoke up about enjoying this moment and then went on to say that he never truly appreciated the sunset until just now. That was a slight bit perplexing to Rose, but she could only chalk it up to him facing the same stress that she had been through all those years back. When she had to be so concerned about bigger issues and others.

While she did understand, it was something she wished he didn't have to face.

"It's the simplest things in life that we often forget about during big moments." Rose said in response, "When so much of our time is being taken up, the true beauty of simple things can often get overlooked. But that's not to say that they still can't be appreciated. Whenever times get truly hard, just slowing yourself down and remembering these things can truly be a blessing. And the best part is, they will always be there."

She looked down at Greg with her last word, giving him a soft kiss on the head. He had always been there no matter what, and he was truly a blessing in her life. The sun was about to set over the horizon, and the colors of it all were amazing.

This was the first thing that Rose came to love on this planet and, although not the last, it was one that always stuck around.

* * *

Listening to his mother reason out the situation really made it so much easier for Steven to understand. Was this was mothers did? Help their children see what could not have been seen before? It made him wonder, but it also gave him a sense of peace knowing that he would be left with such a gentle memory of Rose. He knew that this one would beat out any of the other one's that tried to sweep him up.

Steven did forget to slow down sometimes. With all of the gem missions that had been happening and everything in between, it had been difficult to catch the small pieces of beauty in between the bigger picture. Yet when he did capture those moments, he found that like Rose said, they were worth it and truly were relaxing. To have something be never changing and always there, it could be scary, but it was more reassuring than anything else.

"I think that my favorite constant will always be the stars. It reminds me of all of us, together." Steven warmly replied, not only referring to himself but the Crystal Gems as a whole. His hand absently traced the star that was still ever present on his shirt, despite the different design that was there.

Greg smiled at Rose when the gentle kiss was plopped on the top of his head. He returned the gesture by pressing his cheek against her shoulder, their fingers meeting together while they took in the sunset. The stars and the sky, while it was always there, it was the thoughts that came with them that made them seem so sweet to Greg. The universe came with endless possibilities, a factor that played into him choosing his new surname. Anything could happen if you shot far enough.

Even this.

Meanwhile, Steven leaned against Rose's forearm, truly completing the moment as the three of them gazed at the swarm of colors that greeted them. It all felt so... Perfect.

* * *

Steven words were ones that held truth, and it caused Rose to look up at the sky. With it being so close to evening, a few stars were starting to come out. Thinking about it, Rose couldn't help but think about how the stars were just as equally amazing as the sunset. After all, there had been shapes that humans had created from them, so clearly they weren't the only ones that thought so.

"They really are amazing things," Rose said to Steven. The thought of the stars being so far away, yet still so close was something that really was symbolic of all of them. It didn't matter how far away you got, you could always keep the ones that meant the most to you close. Both in your thoughts and in your hearts. As long as you held them there, they would never truly be far away.

She felt both Greg and Steven lean into her, and she smiled when Greg laced his fingers with his own. Rose had always believed that perfect could never be described, or viewed, or even really set to a standard. Real perfection was something you experienced without even looking for it. And right now, everything was perfect. Truly, truly perfect.

The sun reached the water's edge and disappeared behind the waves to let the moon take its place. The only thing that was left of it now were the few shades of yellow, pink, and orange at the ocean's top. Letting a contented sigh escape from her nose, Rose had felt a true wave of peace wash over her.

"I never thought a perfect day could exist." Rose said, "But I have been truly lucky to be able to experience it with both of you. What do you say we head home, and enjoy the rest of the evening there?"

* * *

Comfortable silence spread out between all of them, reaching all of their hearts. It was soothing to be together like this, just this once, and also incredibly bizarre. Greg never thought that such an opportunity would ever arise — the 'death' of Rose seemed inevitable, unavoidable, and definite — while the presence of his mother was alien to Steven. Even with its strangeness though, it was enjoyable and something that would be burned into their memories for the rest of their lives.

Just this one day. That was all they had together.

After awhile, Rose spoke up with a suggestion of her own. Home… Yes, they could head there. Greg suddenly flushed, wondering how she would feel if she knew that he was still living in his van even despite all of the years that they had been apart. She would probably remark that is was something typical of him and he would merrily laugh in return, agreeing. Rose had always been special like that.

"We could show Steven some of our old videos. I still haven't gotten to show him them yet. I was hoping to do that when he was older, but… I think he's old enough now." Greg confirmed with a nod at his own words. He and Rose had always recorded a lot of videos of each other back in the day. Some were of them just going through daily life while others were sweet, vivid memories such as the music video they made for 'What Can I Do for You.'

They had more where that they came from though. Steven's eyes lightened up at the idea too. He jumped up in excitement and exclaimed in agreement, "I would love that! We can also go and see the Temple!"

* * *

Greg's suggestion for what to do with the rest of the evening was something that Rose hadn't even thought about. Then again, she couldn't remember the last time that the two of them brought those old things out. She knew that Steven had found the one meant for him, but all the other ones of just her and Greg had likely gone, forgotten with time.

"That sounds great." Rose agreed with the pair, "I don't even remember how many of those things we have, but I think it will last well into the night."

Standing up from her position, Rose again presented her hand for the two of them to take. Even though it had only been a single day, it had become something that she felt like she could get used to. Just the feeling of them holding her hands, going out for walks, or just sitting together. It was really a shame that this would only last for so long.

That's when Rose thought about something. While she had given Greg and Steven plenty of time as a family, she hadn't really done much in terms of just Greg. Yes, they had a few moments by themselves here and there, but never one thing. Yes, it was wonderful to do things as a family, and for her as a mother, but she needed to do something for him tonight. Tonight, she needed to be his wife one more time.

"Where ever it is they are, we'll take them to the house and watch them." Rose said, "Afterwards, we'll have a look inside the temple, and then I'll tuck you in."

Rose could only hope that the impaction would go over Steven's head, but he was a smart kid. Still, she'd just play it off if nothing else.

* * *

Everything was falling into place. As the stars rose onto the sky, the sunset came down and their time began to dwindle to an end. It would not be too long before the day would be over, something that neither Greg nor Steven were looking forward to.

They each had a sense of completion around them though. Steven had finally unlocked the last of his mother's secrets while Greg had managed to find proper closure. He could only hope that the same applies to Pearl, who had been managing to move on from Rose and start experimenting with other people, something that would be for the best for all of them.

Rose whispered the last of her plans. Thankfully, the subtext appeared to float over Steven's head as both of the men moved forward to clasp their hands together with hers. He nodded and gave a small sigh, bringing his mother's hand up his cheek with a small, fateful smile. Meanwhile, Greg could not help gazing at Rose in wonder of what she had planned before lovingly chuckling.

"It sounds like a plan," Greg confirmed. They both have Rose's hand another squeeze before beginning to walk off to their destination.


	3. Jasper (End)

**Several Days Later**

This was infuriating. Why was she not gone yet? Why was she still here?

Ever since the day that Rose Quartz had come back, Jasper had been avoiding her like some type of gem mutation. If she did catch sight of her then she would quickly turn her back and move out of the room, not saying anything because of the possibility that she would cause all of the stars in the universe to collapse due to the vileness of her cutting tongue.

Jasper was not a coward. She was not running. It was simply her trying to be a better person; attempting to crush Rose's gem would put her in hot water, as Lapis described it. And truthfully, she had thought that she was past obsessing about Rose, she should be now that she had a support system for the emotional scars that had been left behind. She was supposed to be better now, not this.

 _Right?_

It didn't matter. The hologram that had played awhile ago contained all of the answers she needed. At first, she had been shocked about Pink Diamond's decision, struggling on how she should take it until she realized that it made sense. Pink Diamond had always loved this planet, the Earth had been like her child. Eventually, acceptance washed over her, her loyalty unbinding and never fading.

Still, she would not — _could_ not — forgive Rose for what she had done. It didn't matter if her Diamond had wanted it that way. Rose had been the reason why so many of her comrades and 'siblings' died, why she had grown to hate Earth and herself, why she had lost her only purpose for living, why guilt had swarmed her for years for not meeting the expectations bestowed upon her, _why she had been born in the first place._

Bitterness dwelled in her. It always will.

Although right now, as she sat outside the barn in the grass, she found herself not thinking about that. Jasper busied herself with twisting a hollyhock, her diamond's favorite, in her gloved hands. Its petals skimmed over the pink diamond crest inside of her gloves, sweet irony filling the gesture.

Suddenly, a sound came from the distance that made her head snap up, instincts kicking in while her gaze darted back and forth. She stopped twisting the flower.

"Who goes there?"

* * *

The day that Rose had shared with Greg and Steven had ended some time ago. She had given both of them a day to remember, and she also remembered to give Greg and evening that he would surely not forget for the rest of his life. All in all, it was a very good day, and she had even managed to be around the next morning to have a family breakfast with them.

While Rose didn't think that she would be around for much more than a couple of days, she seemed to be beating the odds and lasting much longer than anyone anticipated. With this in mind, she went about the past few days making a few things right.

She had given each gem as much time as they needed to talk to her, and it paid off. Pearl was now ready to move on with her life and start back up with seeing someone new. Bismuth and her came to both apologize to each other. She and Lapis were okay with each other, and even the Ruby's managed to find it in themselves to give her a second look. Overall, it looked like Rose had managed to give closure where it was needed for everyone.

All except one.

While Rose had been doing her best to do what everyone had asked and kept away from Jasper, there was something still greatly bothering her. Jasper had been one of the most relentless gems that had fought in the war, and the two had crossed paths on more than one occasion. It was clear that, out of all gems out there, she had taken what had happened the hardest.

With this in mind, Rose knew that she would need some very serious closure. Whether or not she could give it... that remained to be seen.

For the last day, she, Greg, Steven and the others had been down at the barn, just enjoying themselves. While Greg and Steven had busied themselves with a few of the others, Rose took it upon herself to go looking for Jasper. It didn't take long, but she was quickly found out.

Knowing that there was no sense in hiding from her, Rose came into full view and simply looked at Jasper with a knowing face. She knew that he had been avoiding her, but they needed to settle this once and for all. No matter how this ended, it would at least be the end of it.

"It's been a long time, Jasper."

* * *

The moment that her poor eyesight zeroed in on Rose, her body defensively tensed and she was up on her feet. If it were not for the hollyhock stuck between her fingers, then she was sure that she would have clenched her fingers hard enough that it would leave marks.

" _You_ ," she spat out, the venom in her tone not bothering to conceal itself, "What do you want, _Quartz_? I thought you would have had half the mind to have disappeared by now."

Due to spending majority of her life in training for the moment that she would come face to face with Rose Quartz or a foe that equaled her strength, she was on her toes. She scanned over Rose with an obvious scowl while her body twitched, begging for her to either lunge or walk away. Jasper took a step back whilst the flowers slid itself between her fingers and hit the ground.

It was incredibly difficult for Jasper to believe that the gem in front of her had once served underneath Pink Diamond. Rose could have very well been her ally at one point in her life, yet here she was the complete opposite. Technically, now they could be called comrades, however, she could not. Even if she understood her views and saw why she saw the world the way she did — after all, she was a Crystal Gem now — she could not bear to consider herself on the same par as her.

It made something deep inside of her boil, steam practically seeping through her. Her eyes narrowed and she bared her teeth, obviously not wanting to be in the same vicinity as the sickness that laid in front of her.

"Don't answer that. I am going to tell you to leave only once — _go_."

* * *

Rose had expected no less than that type of reaction. Come to think of it, she had thought that it would be much more volatile. But, considering Jasper's current relationship with the Steven and the other gems, it was likely that she was holding back for their sake.

Even with the warning being issued to her, Rose didn't falter at all. When the flowers hit the ground, a few petals came off and were picked up by a small gust of wind. Reaching her hand out, Rose tenderly grabbed one of the petals with her fingers. Upon closer look, she knew what those flowers were. It seems almost fitting that they would be here while the two of them spoke. Or, at least Rose hoped they would speak.

"You know as well as anyone that I've never been very good at avoiding danger." Rose said, releasing the petal back into the wind, "I am not here to fight, Jasper."

She again ignored the warning that was issued to her. Even if Jasper chose to attack her now, it would make little difference. Rose knew that her time was running short and that it didn't matter how it ended. She was less afraid of death than she had ever been, and was ready to go at any point after everything that had happened.

"There were debts that I owed to so many here." Rose said, slowly taking a step forward, "You are one that I owe a very big one to. I know you have questions, I know that you're angry, so I just need to know one thing. What is the least I can do for you?"

* * *

Why was she not listening? _Why_ was she getting closer?

The simple gesture made Jasper take another step back, no, two steps for every one that Rose took. Her fingers curled into tighter fists when she saw Rose catch one of the petals, her golden eyes narrowing with fire stirring in them. Another burst of anger rushed through her. She had no right to do that, no right to touch that type of flower, no right to be associated with it.

That was when the question came and she felt herself boil. Before she could stop herself, Jasper reached out and suddenly clasped her fingers around the frontal fabric of Rose's dress. She roughly pulled her close so that Rose was looking at her, Jasper being only slightly taller than her. The way that her nails were digging into the dress threatened for it to tear if she pulled it anymore.

" _Nothing_. That's the big damn joke here, Rose, you can't do _anything_ for me. I don't want your pity or your 'help,' that has never done anything for me. I guess there is one thing though — you could do me a favor and leave before I take the pleasure of shattering your gem myself. You're lucky that I am even considering letting you walk away," she snarled in return, a flurry of emotions rushing through her, unable to stop herself, "In fact, I was doing fine before you decided to show up. Is this your big plan? To do one last 'saving grace' before you disappear for good? Well, you can look for that in someone else because you won't be finding it here."

Jasper let her go and harshly shoved her away in warning. Maybe Rose was not searching for a fight, but with that know it all attitude, she might just get one.

* * *

Even when Rose was forcibly grabbed by her dress and pulled forward, she didn't change her expression. Jasper had been the only gem thus far to actually do what she had expected this entire time. She had expected this from the get-go, and it did little to actually surprise her in what she said.

After she was shoved away, Rose yet again let the warning not phase her. Instead, she spoke up with words that she still meant.

"I wish that you would." Rose told her in a solemn tone, "Frankly, it's what I deserve. Out of everyone here, you are the only one who's echoed my sentiments. Really, after everything that I've done, I don't deserve to even be in your presence.

Even though Jasper had taken several steps back, Rose stood in the same place and then folded her hand behind her back.

"If that is what you need to have closure with all of this, then do so." Rose said, lowering her head slightly, "I won't stop you. I simply want all the wrong that I've done to be made up for. I can't change what I did or even come close to making things right but if this will help you, then do it."

* * *

It would be a lie if she said that the reaction did not somewhat take her aback. It had been unexpected, not something that she would have ever expected to leave the relentless Rose Quartz's mouth. Anger was still crawling through her, making her feel vexed and irritable, refusing to let her go.

By now, there was no fixing the way that Jasper saw Rose. After thousands of years of thinking, of being drilled in whispers of revenge, there was no going back. Some wounds never healed. Instead, reopening and bleeding more until there was nothing left to give, leaving a gaping injury that could not seal itself. That was what Rose was to her.

And she was told that like actual roses, their Rose was a thorn in Homeworld's side that never gave up on her cause.

So seeing her bow her head and give in was something that she viewed as disgraceful. Rose spoke with words of defeat, almost like she was trying to give Jasper what she wanted while simultaneously guilting her. However, she was wrong — this was not what Jasper wanted, it was what the conditioning she had been put through wanted. Either way, there was no honor in striking down Rose if she would not or could not fight back. This was not the same as the battlefield.

Therefore, she unclenched her fingers and straightened out her jaw, hatred continuing to unfold in her eyes even though it wanted to retreat.

"No," she thinly replied, "No, I won't do that because that would be giving you what you want, wouldn't? This isn't about me, it's about you. You came to me since you knew I would do it. _Hah_ , maybe I should, but I won't let you be a coward, Rose. You always run away from your problems, leaving them for everybody else to pick up. This is just another, quicker way out for you, isn't?"

A sigh left her and she shook her head, gaze still fixated on Rose.

"You know that Homeworld expected for me to fill your shoes? To be just as good, just as great as you were, except I couldn't be 'tainted' like you had been by this planet. My entire life, I lived in _your_ shadow."

* * *

While Rose had been ready to be struck down at a moments notice, she was also aware that Jasper was not one to fight if they didn't fight back. It was something of a shared, unspoken code of honor between all quartz. Still, that didn't mean that she wouldn't have expected her to do it, but it seemed that her tongue had been loosened instead.

The words that came from Jasper were clearly meant to be unkind and jab at old places that had long since been looked over. It didn't make Rose angry, nor did it hurt her in any way. The only thing that it was doing was reaffirming what she had already thought about herself. But the last thing that Jasper spoke of was something that caught her attention.

"Run away?" Rose asked, holding her soft tone, picking her head up, "The whole reason that war continued was that I couldn't run away. The reason that gems died and we're shattered was because I couldn't let go. They died for me when I wasn't even worth the dust on their soles. As for Steven, I never wanted him to be a part of... this. My problems were not supposed to be his, he wasn't supposed to have my enemies, and he wasn't supposed to fight for a cause I failed at. He was supposed to choose his own life, and be better than me. It may not be a high bar, but he was supposed to be as far away from what I was as possible."

Rose then thought about what Jasper said at the end.

"Fill my shoes?" Rose asked again, "Since when did Yellow Diamond set her standards so low? Any gem is better than me and could be better than even anything set for them if they had the chance. I'm sorry that you had to live your life in a disappointments shadow. You and every other gem deserve far better than that. Fat better than what I ever did, or could do. My life is nothing in comparison to all those who couldn't be here."

* * *

Again, the response was not what she expected and, surprisingly enough, not what she wanted to hear.

The way that Jasper heard Rose speak about herself was pathetic. It was different from the Rose that she had heard speak from the war. She had always been shouting commands, directing her armies with grace and unfaltering power. Rose had been a rock that would not break no matter how many times people tried to cross it.

No solace came to Jasper from the words. If anything, for some reason, it frustrated her further to hear Rose speak in such a way. True, it was a given that Jasper would never offer her kindness or sympathy, so the pull in her chest was something different. Soon, she pinpointed it and realized why. Looking up, she lunged forward and suddenly clasped Rose's cheeks by her hands so that eye contact was established between them.

"Yes, you are a disappointment and a failure, you are absolutely _nothing_ ," she bluntly agreed, not bothering to hide how she felt about it, until she growled, "But don't you undermine my life or the work of your soldiers. Us soldiers, we were made to fight for a cause, not for nothing. Although I once disagreed with your goals and motives, I now see the reasoning behind them and I respected you, but now? Now you speak of your people as though what they gave themselves up to something that had been worthless. I had gems from my kindergarten — my sisters — that came to your side because they saw something in you that I did not. _Do not insult their deaths_. They had passed with honor and you should recognize that. Do not insult Steven either for trying to fix what you had broken. No matter how you look at it, you are a runner. Even now, you lose yourself in your own problems, not considering the point of views of others. Maybe I find you a disappointment, but others don't so don't you dare bow your head down in defeat."

Her fingers slipped away.

"Leave and stop acting like that. I already told you twice. There is nothing you can find here in me."

* * *

Jasper's sudden movement did surprise Rose a bit, but she did not show it. The way that her hands forced her to look at her, and the feeling of her nails digging into her skin was something that felt very real and concrete. Something that she knew Jasper would want being taken seriously.

She listened intently to her, absorbing everything that had been said and taking them to heart. Rose would never dishonor those who had fallen, as they had far more worth than she did. The entire reasoning behind what she had said was to merely show that she was bearing herself for what she truly was. However, that didn't mean that Jasper was wrong. She had been selfish in think only about what the results were, rather than why they had done it from the very beginning.

Yet Rose could not leave at what Jasper had said. There was more to it than she thought. There was one last secret that she had. One that no one, _absolutely no one_ , knew about.

"You're right on many fronts." Rose told her, "While there is no doubt that they have their honor, I still think she would have been the better one for what happened. Pink would have known how to ensure that the cause would have been fulfilled."

Rose took a pause and looked down at the flowers, thinking over what she would say next.

"It's funny. Everyone thinks that things start with just one person, but it starts long before that. It starts as an idea, a thought, at zero if you will." Rose said, "The moment that zero turns to one, is the day everything springs to life. One becomes two, two becomes ten... ten becomes one hundred. By making me take those actions, Pink Diamond had turned my zero, into one hundred. Ever since then, all I wanted was to make her dream a reality. With that destroyed, I took it upon myself to try and bring that zero... back to nothing. The end of me was supposed to be the start of something new, and better. Yet here it is again... on the threshold of being that one hundred again. Only this time, it's being done right."

Rose took her eyes from the flowers, and then looked directly at Jasper.

"Whether it is by your hands or not, my life is over. Even if it wasn't what you wanted to see, my death is certain."

As if cued by her words, Rose grunted as she felt a sudden surge of pain go through her body, and she was forced to her knees while she clutched her gem. Faint cracking could be heard, and she looked down to see that fractures started forming in her gem.

It was happening.

* * *

Her anger sizzled away bit by bit as she listened to the words, like a storm calming down after an outpour. And she stared at her as Rose admitted that Pink Diamond would have done this better, what her concept of ideas was, everything that was left began to spill out like a wild waterfall.

Jasper knew she would never be able to understand. There was a part of her that still did not and that was not planning on it anytime soon, yet another section of her mind protested. It was the part that Amethyst taught to be playful, Garnet taught to be loving, Lapis taught to be patient, Pearl taught to be intuitive, Peridot taught to be logical, and Steven taught to be empathetic. The one that begged her to allow herself to do a final expression to how she truly felt about this, rather than blinding her by her own rage. Her own self-pity and the need for revenge was what had been corrupted her, metaphorically speaking.

And now Rose was breaking too, in her own way. Like real roses, she was wilting and fast, fading away from reality. However, she was also leaving room for other flowers to bloom in her steps, perhaps to grow even more vibrantly than she had. She collapsed to her knees and held her gem as it glowed. Jasper nearly backed away before the vexation in her eyes subtly faded as they crinkled instead.

There was nothing she could say to cut down Rose more. There was nothing to win.

Rose was already defeated.

She wondered if there was a universe where the two of them were comrades. Side by side, they would have fought and cared for one another with greatness, like humans did with their 'siblings.' In a way, they technically were like that, coming from the same damned, hopeless place. Rose was still one of her own, no matter how much she wanted to turn her cheek at that. Jasper would be the last that she would ever see. She knew she could not offer her the same type of condolence that everybody else would be able to, yet she still felt like she had to do _something_. This was no way for a soldier to go out.

So Jasper fell to her knees in front of Rose. In comparison, she was still bigger, her form nearly hovering over. A hesitant movement sufficed from her as she reached her crimson hand out and the tip of her fingers brushed against Rose's knuckles. She felt a faint tremble rock them while she shut her eyes completely, giving in this one time.

"You always were Pink's favorite," she whispered, "No matter my opinion, she would have taken pride in your work and I respect that. My point of view is twisted, broken up, and unreliable; even now, I am biting my tongue. Clearly, everyone else saw something within you though that was worth fighting and living for... Simply remember that because I am sure that they are not wrong."

* * *

Rose sat there on her knees, still slightly clutching her gems as she felt the cracks at her fingertips. It was oddly cathartic, the way she felt her own gem cracking, as she had held the shards of so many of her fallen comrades. She made it her mission to never shatter gems, but was sometimes left with no choice. Now she was feeling their pain, and would soon join them in eternity.

She felt a hand go over her own and looked up to see Jasper's eyes looking back into her own. While the animosity was still there, there was now something that looked like understanding in her eyes. That feeling carried into her words, and she spoke about understanding things and seeing how people could trust her. With a bit more confidence than before, Rose lifted herself a slight bit so that she was sitting on her knees.

"It's ironic, isn't it?" Rose said, "She said I was her most beloved disciple, yet I felt so worthless when I saw that message. Unlike all the other Diamonds, she knew all of her gems. I was not around her often enough to hear everything she said about you but, whenever I was, she always spoke highly of you. Always said how you would be one of the best. She knew all of us, and of our real wants and desires. The only thing I ever wanted... was a world where gems could choose their own lives, and not have to follow some predetermined fate. And in her heart, I know that is what she wanted as well. It's what she wanted for all of us... it's what she wanted for you."

Looking over her shoulder, she saw Steven and Greg sitting over by a nearby tree. Rose attempted to get up but quickly fell back down from her weak legs.

"Do me a favor, will you?" Rose asked Jasper, "Take me over to them. There's one else last thing I need to clear up. One last thing that everyone needs to see."

* * *

 _It's what she wanted for you._

That was a funny thought. To believe that she had been sucked in by years of lies, detoured from the truth, it seemed like it was Rose here that was the true follower of Pink Diamond and not her. It was also shameful to think such a way since she dedicated her entire life to her, but Rose did as well in that sense. It was interesting how fate worked in that sense. Still, that did sink into a more mellow spot for Jasper.

Rose then pointed out the pair that was nearby and she nodded a bit. She still was not quite grasping Rose's hand, not intending to grasp her nor hold her close, but she would honor the request. A soldier's first job was not to fight, but to help and protect other people — that was what it was all about, no matter what everyone else thought.

She wrapped her arm around Rose's thinner waist before lifting the two of them up. Jasper walked them evenly over to where Greg and Steven were standing, intending to get Rose over there as quickly as she could manage.

At first, when Steven saw her, he had been happy — then the realization of what was happening sunk in and his expression changed when he whispered, "Mom?"

Greg himself quickly became shocked at the sight, unable to speak. His hand came up to cover his mouth out of surprise. Questionably, he glanced at Jasper and all she did was shake her head with a sigh. She set Rose down on the ground in front of them, the two immediately scrambling towards her. A step back was taken.

"It's over. Her time is out."

* * *

Jasper wasted no time in getting her up and began taking her over to her family. It seemed that even with so much bad blood between them, there was till honor to be had with them.

"I've always viewed every quartz as my sister." Rose told her as they moved, "I know you don't feel the same. Regardless, I've always respected you as a soldier... a-and as a gem. If you had been in my place back then, maybe you wouldn't have made the same mistakes I did." Rose clenched her fist at her next words, "Every since I killed Pink Diamond with my own hands... I was already dead."

When they finally made it to the two, Rose was set down in front of Steven and Greg. She looked up and saw that they were both shocked and worried. Looking at her son, Rose gave him hopeful eyes.

"We all knew this would happen." Rose told him, "It seems unfair, but the time we had is irreplaceable. But before anything else happens, there's one last thing I must do."

Reaching her hand out to Steven, she pulled his shirt up slightly so that his gem was exposed. Hovering her hand over it like before, Rose concentrated and the gem began glowing once more. This time, a bubble came forth. Not just any bubble, but one that contained many shards, and they were all pink.

No one had ever seen this before, and she knew that all eyes were on her. Yet she still focused on the bubble and sat herself up while it hovered in her hands.

"Pink," Rose spoke in a strained voice, "you were right. It's not about changing everything. It's about doing our best to change what we can, respecting the will of others, and believing in your own. Isn't that what you fought for?"

Rose straightened herself out more and then began to shakily rise to her feet. It was strenuous, but she had strength enough to for what she was about to do.

"At last, I understand the meaning behind what you did." Rose said once she got to her feet, "At last... I understand... your courage."

Once she was finished speaking, Rose allowed for the sphere to float directly in front of herself. Straightening her posture out, she slowly and shakily began to lift up her arms. With her arms up, she crossed them over her chest in that familiar gem salute. Once there she held her salute and gave her the most respect that she could. The respect that she deserved.

* * *

The compliment that she was given came across as well received. On the contrary, Jasper _did_ see each quartz soldier as her sister — she just never had the opportunity to be raised in their presence and get enveloped in their ways. At a young age, she had been isolated from her sisters and thrown to the side to work underneath Yellow Diamond. Her problem is that she had always been special and not always in the right ways.

No matter how much she had been separated though, the wound with Rose ran so deep because she _was_ , by gem standards, her blood.

"I always respected your tactics. I found it honorable how you tried to limit casualties; Homeworld was not like that," she replied and shook her head, voice dipping lower while she turned her back to the scene, "Although I don't condone you overall, I know that I would not have handled your situation any better. My anger is too out there and you have thousands upon thousands of years up your sleeve."

However, she looked back when Rose suddenly began to summon something out of Steven's gem. Her hand hovered over the radiating gem, making the boy gasp while a storm of emotions overtook him. While he knew that his mother would disappear eventually, he also had not anticipated that today would be the day. He could only gape while the bubble was pulled out with his eyes widening at the realization of what it was.

Jasper apparently also came to the conclusion since her golden eyes managed to widen themselves, completely freezing as the bubble floated into the air with the remnant of familiar pink shards inside.

 _Pink Diamond._

Rose stood herself up on shaky legs and with a small voice, she firmly confirmed her final thoughts on Pink Diamond, voicing how she felt wholeheartedly while giving one last salute. Greg immediately stood up and went by her side, wrapping an arm around her waist so that she would not collapse, his brown eyes wide as he stared at the contraption and then at his wife.

Steven was also gaping, but Jasper had a very different reaction. The pink in the bubble reflected back into her golden eyes, one which had a tear tugging in it. Similar to the first day that the hologram with Pink Pearl was presented, it slipped down her reddened cheek. Stepping forward, she brought her hands up and gave a salute herself, now even with Rose.

"This gem here fought hard for you, Pink! She spilled out everything she had and I have been forced to believe that she can be given the credit for creating the dream you wanted to preserve. Invite her to your side with open arms." Jasper announced, not looking at Rose as a truth spilled past her, focusing.

That was when Steven dove forward and attached himself to her leg, looking up with a deep breath, "We love you."

Greg nodded and leaned up to kiss her cheek in a final confirmation.

"We do."

* * *

While Rose stood there and continued to salute, she felt an arm wrap around her waist. Looking down with her eyes, she saw that it was Greg, supporting her so that she could continue to stand and give respect. While it was a nice thing of him to do, it was overshadowed when Jasper stepped forward and offered a salute to the bubble, as well as putting her own words in.

Even though Jasper never looked at her, the words she spoke had conviction and honesty in them. Jasper truly felt that she deserved to go in peace, even with all the things wrong between them.

Dropping her salute, she looked down when Steven attached himself to her leg, and Greg planted a kiss on her cheek. Offering them a sad smile, she embraced them and held them for a good while.

"And I love you two as well. Don't ever forget that." She told them, kissing their heads, "It's almost time for me to go... and with it, all of those old secrets will be gone, and I can leave with a clear conscious."

Rose then turned her attention to Jasper.

"With everything finally out in the open, things can truly begin a new." She told her, "This world is all of yours to live in. Not as a soldier, or even as a gem... but as a person. We may still be enemies but, as said, even enemies can have respect for each other."

Rose extended her hand out to Jasper, hoping that she would understand the gesture. She waited there, hoping she would at least leave on this. Before the connection could be made, several loud cracks could be heard, and the fractures in her gem went deeper. In addition to causing her to fall forward, it also caused her hair to become greatly faded.

* * *

"We will never." Greg told her solemnly, assuring her one last time. There was nothing more that he could possibly ask from the woman. She had already given him everything that he ever wanted — her time and her love. Closure has been sealed between them, healing any wounds that might have been left behind. Now there was only going to be _good_ in the trail of Rose's presence.

Once she stumbled forward, Jasper did not hesitate to take ahold of her hand, taking it as one final sign of peace between the two of them. Maybe she could not ever let go what had happened, however, that did not mean that she could not at the very least begrudgingly _forgive_ a dying woman. That would be enough to last them for the rest of time and perhaps once death found itself within Jasper, they would be able to remember that in whatever world Rose was being sent to.

She grabbed ahold of her and then settled her on the ground, continuously clutching the hand in her own and squeezing it. Looking up, in the distance she suddenly saw Gems running forward towards them — the entire group was coming forward.

Peridot paused by the tree near them along with Lapis, one looking out of fascination and curious while the other one was silently analyzing. Eyeball and the rest of the rubies managed to pause too, not getting too close to the decaying body, while it was the closest to Rose that went forward.

" _Rose_!" Pearl called out, tears already stinging her eyes as she tried to keep herself together. She stumbled forward and loosely intertwined her nimble fingers against the edge of her dress, gently holding it, "We love you so, so much, oh, Rose."

"We always have." Garnet inserted herself with a nod while she approached them. Her visor was flickered off, multicolored eyes shining while she kept herself together. She knelt down on Rose's other end and touched her arm, frowning at the sight of her cracked gem, running her fingers against the skin. Her eyebrows were scrunched together in understanding at what was to come.

Amethyst with Bismuth also managed to come forward. Bismuth was wordless and remained standing, but she did give Rose one final nod to show that, despite everything, they were okay and always would be. Amethyst, on the other hand, leaped into Garnet's lap and stared down at the equivalent of her mother. Amethyst looked like she wanted to reach out and she did, fingers closing over Garnet's, the hands resting on Rose's elbow. She shook her head, giving emphasis, " _Always_. Like, to the ends of everything, Rosie-dozy."

Then, Greg came up from behind Pearl and looked at her. They exchanged eye contact prior to focusing on Rose, both with sad looks that also contained something that they previously didn't have before the clone came — a sense of ease.

Finally, that left Steven. Rose had kissed him and he had stared as everyone gathered around. His heart rammed in his chest until he saw something a beautiful shade of crimson in the grass. Eyes widening, he went for it before walking over to Rose. It seemed somewhat final for him to be giving his input, the true last goodbye. He went behind her head, Jasper shifting to make room for him as he kneeled down. An actual thornless Rose was slipped into the fading hair and he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Sadly and in completion, he sincerely whispered, "See you later, mom."

* * *

When Rose fell forward, she was immediately caught by the hand that she extended out. Jasper had not stopped for a second to grab her, and Rose was very grateful for it. As she was lowered down to the ground, she whispered to Jasper.

"Take care of her." Rose said, referring to the bubble, "You are no one's tool any longer. Live for yourself... and find a new lease on life."

Once she was on the ground, Rose heard the voices and saw the movements of everyone there. Many came close, and other kept their distance. Words of love were spoken, and gentle hands were placed upon. Looking up, she returned the nod that Bismuth had given her, showing that everything was alright.

"You all mean the world to me." Rose spoke in earnest, "I could never ask for better friends and family, and can only hope that you continue with your lives... and make yourselves and others so much better. Remember me as I was. Speak of all my deeds, both good and bad... and let me be judged accordingly. And know that I will always see all of you... as the greatest that has ever been."

It was then that Steven came forward, something in his hand. The crimson hue and shape were unmistakable. Wordlessly, the rose was slipped into her now faded hair, and his final words were spoken after a kiss was planted on her forehead. The words carried more weight than could ever be known.

Time had proven Steven wise. There were no goodbyes... not really. With a truly genuine smile, Rose looked to her son and two tears fell down her face. She could only hope that one day, they may see each other when the time was right.

"This is good... Isn't it?"

The question was not meant to be answered. With her last words, Rose Quartz shut her eyes for the last time. Several more cracks were heard, and the gem finally shattered. With it, all that was left behind was the fragments remains of the gem and the rose that fell with it.

* * *

Tears were shed as Rose's final words rung out in the field. Somehow, this seemed appropriate, a more fitting death for Rose Quartz. Surrounded in a field of flowers, both by longtime family members and foes turned friends, allowing for herself to feel some peace after such a long time. Lavished with loving words of goodbye, she gave her own, bittersweetly ending with a question that now they would have to answer; a final puzzle from Rose that now _they_ would have to put together as a whole.

And then, with a flash of shimmering light and a grand _crack_ , Rose ceased to exist any further. Her form faded away with the wind and the broken pieces of her gem fell to the ground. The rose that Steven had put ever so gently into her hair fell down on the biggest remnant with the grace of a butterfly.

Silence flooded through all of them, an acceptance spreading throughout the Crystal Gems. The one to speak up softly with a sniffle was Pearl, who reminisced on the scene as she looked down at the fragments, "She always did know what to say."

Murmurs of agreement swept through everyone. Amethyst and Garnet then leaned forward towards Pearl and they all collapsed together into a tight, comforting embrace. Even Greg came in and they gladly took him, allowing for him to be there. All of them had loved Rose with their entire beings and even though they needed a moment now, they would keep moving and continue _improving_ for her.

Bismuth was the one who gently patted Steven's head to offer him a sense of comfort. Coming out from the shadows of the tree, Peridot came out as well, resting her nimble hand on his forearm. Even she recognized the significance of what had happened and the meaningful message behind it. Lapis followed, wishing to be there for Steven.

On the other hand, Jasper continued to gaze towards the shards with something tight in her chest expelling — _relief_. Relief at the fact that she had chosen to let go of the grudge that had shaken her, allowing for Rose to go without any regrets. It was as though ever so slightly, the gaping wound on her heart had been sealed shut tighter, harder to break now. That feeling only continued when the bubble in the air flew down to her. Realizing what Rose had truly meant, she released an odd sound from her throat, tears slipping down her cheeks. She opened her arms up, causing for the bubble that had Pink Diamond in it to press against her chest.

Half of the bubble turned tangerine, signifying the change in ownership, however, the other part remained that peach pink. It did not do that on its own, Jasper willing it to, knowing that after what Rose had just done for her, she could preserve both of the memories in that way.

Once again, that left Steven alone. He stepped forward and looked down at the rose quartz gem. A quiet, shaky breath was inhaled before he found himself kneeling down. His hands reached out and hovered over the remainder of the shards, a bubble slowly forming around them. For a moment, he brought it close to him and cradled it, staying seated by the rose that still laid on the ground. He looked up at the sky, sure that in the night his mother would be resting upon the multitude of stars.

"Watch us, mom," he whispered, confidence filling his tone along with deep pride, "We're going to make you prouder than ever before."

With that resolve, his hand tapped the bubble and whisked it away to where it belonged.

 _Home_.

* * *

Once the form of Rose Quartz had disappeared, the Ruby's had all gave looks of sympathy and wonder. After everything that had happened, and everything they were sent to do, the gem that was considered the number one enemy of homeworld was allowed to pass in peace. While it was strange, all of them silently agreed that it was for the best. Especially after everything that had happened over the past few days.

The five of them slowly approached the group, Eyeball leading them. They came to Jasper, who was now holding a dual colored bubble with several large shards in it.

"That's her, isn't it?" Eyeball asked Jasper, her words low and respectful.

Garnet had stayed with Pearl, Amethyst, and Greg in that embrace for some time, simply offering her support where it was needed. Glancing up with her uncovered eyes, she saw Steven approach the gems shards, and bubble them away with great care.

Getting up from her position, she allowed for the rest to continue comforting each other, and she made her way over to Steven. Just as she got to him, she heard his words and watched the bubble be whisked away.

While they all had closure and knew that they would continue to improve for Rose, Garnet knew that one more thing needed to be taken care of for Steven.

"When we found out about you coming into this world, we weren't sure what to do." She spoke, kneeling down to his level, "It was so different for all of us, so new and scary. We weren't sure what would become of you... but your mother _never_ doubted you. She always said you would become the greatest of them all. And she was right."

Picking up the now abandon flower, she tucked it into Steven's hair in the same fashion that he did for her. She then placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him dead in his eyes.

"You have the heart of a human and the soul of a gem. If anyone can bring our worlds together, it's you. _That_ is who you are Steven."

* * *

Everything was falling into place. The dramatic and touching moment had passed, fading into what was now going to be the present and the future. Looking to the side, he saw Jasper curled up with a bubble of shards tucked into her chest. The rubies came over and approached her. Steven only subtly smiled to himself in understanding. He knew that Jasper wouldn't turn away their comfort.

Meanwhile, Lapis and Peridot both came close to him with the two of them occasionally glancing back at where Jasper was. He looked at the two of them before seeing Garnet stand from her group hug between Amethyst and Pearl. Steven looked at the two and told them, "You guys can go on... You too, Bis."

After some hesitance, Peridot did step back at the sight of Garnet and scurried away to where Jasper was, Lapis following in unison. Bismuth, on the other hand, saw Amethyst and Pearl, the latter cradling the smaller body to her chest. She walked to them with a murmur before sweeping them up against her chest, resulting in more light sniffles from Pearl and an " _Easy, Bis_ ," from Amethyst.

Steven looked at Garnet when she knelt in front of him. Her eyes gazed at him as her fingers clasped down on his shoulders. A deep breath was inhaled as he carefully listened to her.

Strong as ever, Garnet had taught him a lot about life. Out of the main three Crystal Gems, he considered her to be the most similar to his mother during the absence of Rose in his lifetime. If there was one concept that he learned though it was that the future could be incredibly unpredictable — it was going to be up to them to see what would happen now.

The hands slipped off of his shoulders in favor of taking up the Rose and placing it in his hair. Steven blinked at this before his chubby fingers came up to brush against it. Finally, a gentle and genuine smile teased his lips. While he felt remorse, he also felt a new beginning from the death of his mother. This time, it would go how she would have wanted for it to go.

"I know," Steven replied and move forward in order to embrace the fusion, pressing his face near her own, looking into her eyes with renewed confidence, "I know, thanks to all of you. We will change the world, bit by bit, _together_. That's what being a Crystal Gem is all about."

* * *

When Garnet felt him rest his face close to her own, it caused her to smile in both happiness and relief. While Steven was very resilient, he also had a tendency to be very hard on himself. A trait undoubtedly carried on by Rose. But he seemed to have let everything settle well, and was looking on with hope and confidence.

"There's no doubt about that." She answered him, "While things may not always go the best, we'll always come out on top in the end. Because we never give up."

Giving Steven a quick hug, Garnet held her smile as she stood up, her shades appearing on her face once more. Looking over everyone else, she saw that everyone was doing their best with everything going on. Noticing Jasper first, she decided to talk with her and the Ruby's. As she got closer, she saw what was in Jasper's hands.

"I don't know what happened, but I do know this." Garnet said to Jasper, "If she trusted you enough with that then I know it's in good hands. She never did anything without reason, so I think she truly felt you deserved it."

After giving Jasper a nod, she went to Greg, who was likely taking this the hardest, and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I know it must have been difficult to have to face something like that again." She spoke in a comforting tone, "I know it was for us. But also know that we are here in case you need us for anything. At the very least, everything has been cleared up, and there are no more loose ends."

* * *

Another sure nod erupted from Steven at Garnet's words, melting into the embrace that she gave him. It was a sweet moment and he could feel himself start to settle down his nerves and varying feelings thanks to it. A sigh left him as she moved back and he looked up at the sky with bright brown eyes.

"I know." Steven repeated again, a lot more softly this time as Garnet walked away from him.

She made her way to Jasper first, who was still cradling the bubble against her chest. Jasper glanced up at Garnet — who she was now long friends with, sparking a friendly rivalry at times — unashamed of the tears that had managed to slip down her cheeks. A nod was given and she returned her attention to the bubble, which she was now holding in one hand since the rubies along with Lapis and Peridot had made their way to her lap or were leaning onto her inhumanly large body. Wordlessly and with one last long look, she tapped the bubble and allowed for it to disappear in a flash of light. She would allow for herself to have some time with it later. For now, she turned her body into the embraces of the ones she called her friends.

Finally, Greg was reached as well. He was now standing up, holding Pearl by the waist with Amethyst at his leg. His brown eyes connected with Garnet's own. Underneath his eyes, there were red streaks from crying, unable to suppress the emotions he felt at seeing his wife pass. However, he also felt pride swell in his chest. It had been beautiful, the type of peaceful death that she had deserved in the first place.

"It's alright, really. I think that... This was the way that it was supposed to end." Greg told her and forced for a shake of his head to come up, gathering himself together. Pearl nodded in agreement, finally seeming to simmer down as well, wiping away a few stray tears from her cheeks.

Little ways away, Steven stood in the grass, the rose still evident behind his ear. He was staring up at the sky, where a beautiful, symbolic sunset was stretching out above them, as though it wanted to tell them that everything would be okay. His hand closed over his heart and he subtly smiled, closure finally settling through him.

"Me too." He whispered.

 **((And thus, we come to a close of the three part series done by these writers. While both have chosen to remain anonymous for this, one has said that they are willing to speak with people in private. If any of you wish to speak with them, simply contact me privetly. And, if you are an author looking to have your work here, but don't want your name out yet, contact me as well.))**


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